352 



THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



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GNATS (Family CULICID^) 



The Gnat is not a very great favourite with us. We know too 

 much of the powers of its beak, and the irritating nature of its bite, 

 to be very fond of it. We have, however, one great consolation 



in the fact that our 

 British gnats are com- 

 paratively harmless in 

 comparison with their 

 first cousins the mos- 

 quitoes ; for mosqui- 

 toes belong to the 

 same family as our 

 gnats, in fact, no real 

 distinction is to be 

 " made between them. 

 But nevertheless the 

 / gnat is a most inter- 



esting insect. 



When the mother 

 gnat is about to lay 

 her eggs she flies off 

 in search of some pond 

 or stagnant pool, or 

 ditch of standing water. Even a rain-water butt will answer her 

 purpose, if she can find nothing better. For the future grubs, when 

 they hatch out, will only be able to live in the water; and there- 

 fore she must so place her eggs that, when they appear, they may 

 find themselves in their native element. 



But she does not merely drop her eggs into the water and leave 

 them. That would never do ; for unless they are in contact with 

 the air as well as with the water they will not hatch. So the 

 clever little gnat, as she lays them, fastens them together into 

 a kind of boat or raft. 



It is very interesting to watch a gnat laying her eggs. She 

 rests on some small floating object, such as a bit of leaf or twig, 



Gnat : rauch enlarged 



