THE OCEAN GNAT. 



71 



of New England a small, slender white larva (Fig. 63a, magnified, 

 and head greatly enlarged ; Fig. 64, pupa and fore foot of larva, 

 showing the hooks), whose body is no thicker than a knitting 

 needle, lives between tides, and has even been dredged at a 

 depth of over a hundred feet, which transforms into a yellow 

 mosquito-like fly 

 (Fig. 65, with 

 head of the fe- 

 male, magnified) 

 which swarms in 

 summer in im- 

 mense numbers. 

 I liave called it 

 ► provisionally 

 (Miironomus oce- 

 anicus, or Ocean 

 gnat. The larva? 

 of other species 

 have been found 

 by Mr.* S. I. 

 Smith living at 65. Ocean Qnat. 



great deptlis in our Northern lakes. These kinds of gnats are 

 usually seen early in spring hovering in swarms in mid air. 



The strange fact has been discovered by Grimm, a Russian 

 naturalist, that the pupa of a feathered gnat is capable of laying 

 eggs which produce young during the summer time. Previous 

 to this it had been discovered that a larva of 

 a gnat (Fig. 66, a, 

 eggs from which 

 the young are pro- 

 duced) wliicli lives 

 under the bark of 

 .. trees in Europe, al- 

 so produced young 

 born alive. 



The Hessian fly 

 (Fig. 67, a, larva; 

 6 pupa; c, stalk of wheat injured by larvaj) 64. Pupa of Ocean 

 and Wheat midge, which are allied to the Gnat, 



mosquito, are briefly referred to in the calendar, so that we pass 

 over these to consider anotlicr pest of our forests and prairies. 



Larva of Ocean Gnat. 



