126 THE WATER CABINET. 
ture, the creature suspends itself to the surface of the 
water, as if it were a ceiling, and as it moves to and fro 
its changes of position may be noted by the shifting of 
the dimple on the surface. 
In the little gnat, Corethra plumicornis (MEIGEN) we 
have some further examples of the peculiar conformation 
of the larva, to enable it to respire in the water; but the 
larva is so transparent that it requires an expert micros- 
copist, and an effective instrument to work out the details 
as represented by Reaumur and Dr. Goring. The larva 
of this species is plentiful in our brooks, and worthy of 
close scrutiny by the aid of the microscope. Just now 
the gnats are abundant in meadows near streams, and to 
them we are indebted for that soft humming which has 
been appropriately termed the “ music of the wild,” and 
on which good old Gilbert White exhausted his ingenuity 
to find an explanation. The social communities of these 
ephemeral creatures are strictly music parties, and when- 
ever we suffer them to assemble about our heads, when 
rambling in the hedgerows, we are entertained by their 
fairy-like performances. xpertum est. 
THe Case Fry Phryganea grandis.—There are several 
species in the family of Phryganea, which is the only 
tribe in the order Trichoptera, but such strong resem- 
blances exist between the several members of the family 
that some entomological experience is necessary to enable 
the student to distinguish them. In an aquarium, the 
caddis worms are very amusing, and since they thrive 
there, they are very'suitable additions to the happy family. 
We see them busy at the bottom, adding fragments of 
