144 OSlober 174S. 



Suecica, fully agrees with them, and thejr 

 are called by him Culex pipiens. In day 

 time or at night they come into the houfes* 

 and when the people are gone to bed they 

 begin their difagreeable humming, approach 

 always nearer to the bed, and at laft fuck 

 up fo much blood, that they can hardly fly 

 away. Their bite caufes blifters in people 

 of adelicate complexion. When the weather 

 has been cool for fome days, the mufquetoes 

 difappear. But when it changes again, 

 and efpecially after a rain, they gather fre- 

 quently in fuch quantities about the houfes, 

 that their numbers are aftonifhing. The 

 chimneys of the Englijh which have no 

 .valves for (hutting them up, afford the gnats 

 a free entrance into the houfes. In fultry 

 evenings, they accompany the cattle in 

 great fwarms, from the woods to the houfes 

 or to town, and when they are drove before 

 the houfes, the gnats fly in wherever they 

 can. In the greateft heat of fummer, they 

 are fo numerous in fome places, that the 

 air feems to be quite full of them, efpeci- 

 ally near fwamps and ftagnant waters, 

 fuch as the river Morris in New y^rfey. 

 The inhabitants therefore make a fire be- 

 fore their houfes to expell thefe difagreea- 

 ble gueft by the fmoak. The old Swedes 

 here, faid that gnats had formerly been 



much 



