The Gnat 
55 
at the objectionable stab that so tiny an 
assailant is capable of dealing. But the 
subsequent irritation, which not infre- 
quently causes swelling, is brought about not 
merely by the puncturing of the skin, but 
by a fluid which the insect simultaneously 
injects into the wounded spot. 
Unwelcome Ladies. — It is to the 
ladies of the gnat community that we are 
indebted for this unwelcome attention, 
for it is the female gnat that attacks, and 
not the male. When her favourite food 
(blood) is not obtainable she will turn her 
attention to sweet flowers. You will not 
have failed to notice frequently the dead 
gnats within the calyx of some large 
flowers. The male insect differs from the 
female in that it possesses much larger 
antennae, which are also feathered. The 
peculiar humming noise made by the gnat 
is so noticeable as to bring about the name 
by which our commonest species is known — 
culex “ pipiens.” This not unpleasant 
music is produced by the very rapid 
motion of the wings, which have been 
calculated to vibrate some 3,000 times in a 
minute. 
