EGG -BOAT OF THE GNAT. 9 



Entomologists are familiar with the following facts, and 

 were this work addressed to them alone, a simple mention of 

 the insect would be sufficient. But as this work is intended 

 for the general public, it will be necessary to give a descrip- 

 tion, though a brief one, of the wonderful manner in which an 

 insect, which we are apt to think is only too common, plays the 

 part of a boat at its entrance to life and just before its 

 departure from this world, not to mention its intermediate 

 state, to which reference will be made under another heading. 



The insect in question is the common Gnat (Cukxpipiens), 

 which makes such ravages upon those who are afflicted, like 

 myself, with delicate skins, and can have a limb rendered 

 useless for days by a single gnat-bite. 



In this insect, the beginning and the end of life are so 

 closely interwoven, that it is not easy to determine which has 

 the prior claim to description, but we will begin with the egg. 



With very few exceptions, such as the Earwig, which 

 watches over its eggs and young like a hen over her nest and 

 chickens, the insects merely deposit their eggs upon or close to 

 the food of the future young, and leave them to their fate. 

 The eggs of the Gnat, however, require different treatment. 

 The young larvae, when hatched, immediately pass into the 

 water in which they have to live, and yet the eggs are so consti- 

 tuted that they need the warmth of the sun in order to hatch 

 them. The machinery by which both these objects are attained 

 is singularly beautiful. 



The shape of the egg very much resembles that of a common 

 ninepin, and the structure is such that it must be kept upright, 

 so that the top shall be exposed to the air and sun, and the 

 bottom be immersed in the water. It would be almost im- 

 possible that these conditions should be attained if the eggs 

 were either dropped separately into the water or fixed to 

 aquatic plants, as is the case with many creatures whose eggs 

 are hatched solely in or on the water. 



As is the case with many insects, each egg when laid is 

 enveloped with a slight coating of a glutinous character, so 

 that they adhere together. And, in the case of the Gnat, this 

 material is insoluble in water, and hardens almost immediately 

 after the egg is deposited. Taking advantage of these pecu- 

 liarities, the female Gnat places herself on the edge of a floating 



