The Gnat 
59 
see a close affinity between the gnat and 
the mosquito. 
It is a fact that there is a very close 
relationship. The mosquito, which is so 
fearfully regarded by all who have made 
his acquaintance has many traits of 
character which are precisely those of the 
gnat, and belongs to the same species. 
The gnat apparently from all time has 
found a home in Great Britain, whereas 
the mosquito is, or rather was, a visitor, 
for he seems, like others who come from 
his part, to enjoy living under the British 
flag, and in many ways he is much 
more objectionable than his English 
cousins, in that he does his work singly 
and individually, and has no respect even 
for the sanctity of man’s house. 
One is as liable to be bitten by a mosquito 
when lying in bed as when walking along 
in the fields or garden. The hum of the 
mosquito is very high pitched and has upon 
some ears a most irritating effect. So 
poisonous is their bite or puncture, that the 
writer has seen cases where intense suffering 
and disfigurement has resulted from an 
attack by a single insect. Those little 
