hae NATURAL HISTORY. 
a microfcope. . Reaumur informs us, there are three forts of Gnats iz 
the fields about Paris, the largeit of which has a body variegated with 
white and black, and on the breaft there are black and very brown une 
dulatious. A leffler kind refembles the former, in the colour of the 
brealt and eyes, but the body is brown: the third kind is lefs than 
either, and is moft common. It has a light reddifh-brown breaft, and 
a whitith body; but under the belly, on each ring, there is a browm@ 
pot, and the reft is prey ; the eyes are of a very fine green. 
Gnats in general, have a longith body, nearly in the thape of a cy- 
Jinder, and it confifts of eight rings; the corflet, though fhort, is con- 
fiderable for its fize, and to this the legs and wings are conneéted, be- 
fides the two ballances or mallets: there are alfo four marks, placed 
much in the fame manner as other Flies; for the two firft of which 
are pretty near the head. When the Gnat is at reft, it generally keeps 
one of its wings crofled over the other, fo as to cover it: the feelers 
are finer in the males, than in the females, and in feveral kinds, there 
are two {mall longith bodies on the head, of a round {hape, which have 
fome refemblance to the feelers of fhort bodied Flies, Reaumur calls 
them Barbs, becaufe the trunk of the Gnat is placed underneath them: 
the trunk of the Gnat is a very fine inftrument, and is different from 
that of the Flie, for its ting or prickle, or rather ftings, are contained 
in a fheath. It feems to be defigned purpofely to bore the fkin, and 
to fuck out the blood. Savammerdam calls the fting a kind of a reddifh 
fhining thread; but Reaumur has difeovered, that it confifts of feveral 
threads, which may be divided from each other; the fheath for this 
feems to be a cylindric pipe, though in reality, it is cloven almoft 
throughout its whole length, and the edges of the cleft recede from eack 
other, when there is occafion. : 
When a Guat facks the blood without difturbance, he feldom quits 
the place till he has filled his Romach and guts with blood. When the 
bite of a Gnat is perceived immediately, there is no better remedy t@ 
cure it, that to moiften the liquor with water, which is left upon the 
wound; and this may be eafily done, by rubbing in the water imme- 
diately ; or the wound may be opened a little, and then it needs only 
be wafhed. But if the bite is not perceived till feveral hours after it is 
done, this remedy will have no effedt. 
Gnats proceed from a fort of water Worms, that are found neither 
in rivers nor brooks, but in ponds and fplafhes of water in marfhess 
from May till the beginning of the winter; for this reafon, all marfhy 
places are terribly infefted with Gnats, and rainy feafons produce moré 
than dry: the body of the worm is longith, with the head joined to the 
firft ring of the body, by a fort of neck : this ring is thicker and longet 
than the reft, and feems to be a kind of corflet, which is fucceeded by 
eight others; that is, there is nine in all, and they gradually grow lefs 
to the end of the tail, It changes to an Aurelia, with a whitilh bodye 
and a greenifh corflet, which foon turn brown. oat 
The great Gnat is twice as big as the common Gnat, though it 1 
much of the fame fhape ; for it has a long flender grey body, and large 
thin tranfparent wings, without fpots: the fnout or trunk is prominent 
_ and flender, and its theath is forked at the top, or formed into tw? 
feaves, which are hairy, and of the fhape of a lance. It is very com- 
mop about the waters, and while in its worm fkate, lives in the vu 
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