THE COMMON GNAT. 447 



coming from the country is scarcely to be recog- 

 nized, and it appears full of blotches. Even gloves 

 are not always found a protection against these 

 troublesome insects, as they often pass their stings 

 through the seams. 



Whilst the Laplanders are employed in the 

 woods, on the necessary business of cutting timber, 

 they are unable to take the refreshment of their 

 meals ; for their mouths, as soon as opened, would 

 be filled with Musquetoes. If the wind happen 

 to blow briskly, the animals disappear for the time ^ 

 but no sooner is it again calm than they return, and 

 crowd every place. — They also dreadtully infest the 

 cattle and rein-deer. When these return from the 

 woods, they are found covered with Musquetoes; 

 and, on the insects being swept from their backs 

 and sides, their skins are red with blood. 



The lowest class of people, in all the climates 

 where Musquetoes abound, keep them out of their 

 huts, during the day, by burning there a continual 

 fire : the Laplander has a better contrivance to 

 defend himself from their stings while in bed. He 

 fixes a leather thong to the poles of his tent, over 

 his bed, which raises his canvas quilt to a proper 

 height, so that its sides or edges touch the ground. 

 Under this he creeps and passes the night in secu- 

 rity. — When Mr. Acerbi and his friends arrived in 

 a cottage in the village of Kollare, in Lapland, the 

 first favour the women conferred on them was to 

 light 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 Mus- 



