20 4 Of the G N A T . 
ferve to ffrengthen them are alfo either fea> 
fh-ered or fcaled. Between thefe Ribs an ex¬ 
ceeding thin transparent Membrane is ex- 
tended*, full of little black fharp-pointed 
Hairs*., that are ranged every where with the 
utmoff Regularity. But as there are * dif¬ 
ferent Sorts of Gnats* their Wings are alfo- 
very different, fome having a Border of long, 
Feathers, others of fhort ones, and others 
none at all: the Rib-work of the Wings,, 
like wife, in fome is feathered* in fome fcaled, 
and in fome befet with Prickles* 
But the moff wonderful Part of this Crea¬ 
ture is its Head; as it contains the Horns, 
the Sting or Sucker, and the Eyes. The 
Horns of the hr njh-horned or Male Gnat are 
a moff charming 0 hje<ff : it has two Pair, 
one whereof is furrounded, at little Diffances, 
with long Hairs iffuing out circularly; each 
Circle kffening more than other as it ffands 
nearer the Extremity of the Horns : and the 
Yfhole together exactly reprefenting the Fi¬ 
gure of the Plant called Equifetum or Horfe-* 
tail . The other Pair is longer and much 
thicker than the foregoing, and hairy from 
End to End. In the great-bellied or Female 1 
Gnat , the firft Pair of Horns, though of the 
* Mr. Derham obferved near forty different Species of 
Gnats about the Place where he lived, which was Upminjlep 
in EJfsx. Vide BbjJko~Tksokgy-> p. 3,7 B» 
famg 
