334 DIITERA. 
floating, their long hind legs crossed un- 
der them, while the body is kept up- 
right by the assistance of their fluttering 
wings. 
Lucy* Do the eggs float, or do they 
sink to the bottom ? 
Mother. They float for some days ; 
the gnat fastens two or three hundred of 
them together by a glutinous liquid, and 
gives the whole mass the shape of a little 
boat, which is driven about by the wind. 
In a very few days the larvae are hatched ; 
they are very small, but well worth ob- 
serving as to their form. 
Lucy, Can I see them in all pools ? 
Mother, They are common from May 
till the beginning of winter in ponds and 
stagnant ditches, where they may be 
seen suspended with the tail uppermost. 
The head is large and scaly, with two 
antennae, and several hairs, which are 
jointed, and always in motion ; it is also 
furnished with two hooks, by which it 
seems to catch, and hold fast, its food. 
Lucy, What, mamma ! do such little 
