534 THE MUSQUITOFLY THE SPIDER FLIES. 



nourishment. The naked eye is only able to discover a Icngand 

 siender tube, containing five or six spiculae of exquisite fineness. 

 These spu-ulye, introduced into the veins of animals, act like the 

 suckers of a pump r and cause the blood to ascend. The insect injecta 

 a small quantity of liquid into the wound, by which the blood ia 

 made more fluid. The Gnat, as it sucks, swells, grows red, and does 

 not quit its hold till it has gorged itself. The liquor it has injected 

 canses a disagreeable itching, which may in some degree be removed 

 by vulati e alkali, 01 by immediately rubbing and washing the plass 

 with cold water. 



THE MUSQUITOFLY. 



The Musqnito-fly ia nothing more than a large variety of the Com- 

 mon Gnat. These insects are found in great abundance in the woody 

 and marshy parts of all hot climates; and, during the short summer 

 throughout L'pland, Norway, and Finland, and other countries 

 equally m-ar the Pole. 



It is the female on?ly that bites and s-ucks the blood ; an-cJ this oper- 

 ation is so severe, as to swell and blister the skin ia a violent manner 

 and sometimes even to leave obstinate sores. 



The lowest class of people, in all the climates where Mosquitoes 

 abound, keep them out of their huts, during the day-time, by burning 

 there a continual fire: the Laplander, when in bed, has a better con- 

 trivance to defend himself from their stings. He fixes a leather thong 

 to the poles- of his tent, this raises his canvass quilt to a proper height^ 

 so that its- sides or edges touch the ground. Under this be creeps and, 

 passes the night in security. When Mr. Acerbi and his friends arrived 

 in a cottage in the village of Killare, in Lapland, the first favor th 

 worn-em conferred on them, was to ligbt a fire,, and fill the room so full 

 of smoke, that it brought tears from their eyes. This was done to 

 deliver them from the molestation of the Musquitoes; and, as a means 

 of effectual prevention, they made a second fire, near the entrance of 

 the apartment, to stop the fresh myriads, which would otherwise have 

 rushed in upon them from without. The buzzing of Musquitoes ia 

 o loud, as to disturb the rest of persons in the mgbt y almost as mucb 

 aa would be done by their bite. 



OF THE HIPPOBOSCLE, OR SPIDER-FLIES. 



THE Ilippoboscas form a connecting link between the two-winged 

 and the apterous insects. By some authors they have been denomi- 

 nated mouches araignees, or spider-flies, from a distant resemblance 

 which some of them have to Spiders. 



A few of the species are found in woods and marshy places ; but 

 the greater number of them infest the bodies either of quadrupeds or 

 bird* 



