a short interval 

 (three or four days 

 in summer) the 

 pupal skin cracks 

 along the back of 

 the thorax, and the 

 fly escapes into the 

 air, sometimes rest- 

 ing for afew minutes 

 on the cast skin un- 

 til its wings are dry. 

 The fly is not 

 unlike the harle- 

 quin-fly in general 

 appearance. The 

 male is distin- 

 guished from the 

 female, as in the 

 harlequin-fly, by its 

 bushy feelers. 

 Harlequin flies 

 raise their fore legs 

 from the ground 

 when resting, and 

 stretch them out 

 in front; gnats often 

 raise their hind 

 legs and stretch 

 them out behind. 

 When the female is 

 ready to lay her 

 eggs, she chooses 

 a suitable pool, and 

 after gliding to and 

 fro over the surface 

 for some time, 

 settles on the water, 

 or on some floating 

 object. The hind 

 legs are extended 

 and crossed. Into 



Fig. 67.— Male gnat, magnified. 



