NATURAL HISTORY. 155 



early in the morning, between five and six 

 o'clock, to a bucket, or pond of stagnant 

 water, where gnats are to be found : if you 

 go later you will not see it. The gnat's eggs 

 are shaped something like a pocket powder- 

 flask, and it is by putting a great many of 

 these together that she makes the boat. To 

 do this, the mother gnat stands by her fore- 

 legs upon the side of the bucket, or on a 

 leaf or stick in the pond, and her body is on 

 a level with the water, and rests upon it, ex- 

 cept the last ring of her tail, which she raises 

 a little. She then crosses her two hind-legs 

 in the shape of the letter X, and begins to 

 put her eggs in that part of the X nearest 

 to her body. So she brings her legs, crossed 

 in this way, near to her body, and puts an 

 egg in the angle, covered with a kind of glue, 

 which will make the eggs stick together. On 

 each side of the first egg she puts another in 

 this shape # * # , and here is a drawing of the 

 insect at this part of her work. 



A Gnat making her Boat of Eggs. 



