Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-11-28
4 VARIED EXISTENCE.
first . Boat, Then Fish, Then q Larl
Than SaiI aud Than . Vkirt

first . Boat, Then q Fish, Then q Larger
Rc,t, Then a Sail aud Then Bird.
A riddle has been devised by Mr.. j.
g. Wood. the naturalist. who confesses
that he believes the sphinx might have
lived some two thousand wears longer
had she propounded this, instead Of
her own rather simple question. His
query runs thus: What animal is that
which is first a boat. then fish, then a
targer boat. then sail and then a
birdp" How many of lis could guess.
on the spur of the moment, or even
after deliberation. that it means gnat?
The tiny insect is native of the
water during the early stages of its eX-
istence. and only seeks the air and land
when it attains its wings. The eggs Of
the gnat are destined TO float on the
water, in order to be hatched. but as
they are very small. they would be
liable to destruction if they were SIM
ply placed there at random, and then
left alone. Therefor the female,
when about to deposit them, sta
tions herself on floating leaf
OF other convenient support, cling
ing to it by her fore legs, and stretch
ing the hind legs as far as possible over
the water, and crossing them At their
eXtremities.
By means of these slender hind legs,
she guides the eggs in the direction
they should take, arranging them final
y in the form of a boat, and fastening
them together with a peculiar water
proof secretion.
In short time after the eggs have
been laid the young gnats within them
are so developed by the warmth Of the
sun that they force out the lower end
Of their shells. drop into the water, and
swim away.
The future gnat now corresponds &c
the caterpillar of the moth or butterfly,
and is called larva. During this state,
it changes its skin several times. Be
fore the last moult. il seems to be in Q
dying condition; it does not swim
about, but remains at the surface OF
the water, where. presently, its skin
bursts, and the pupa issues.
The little creature now never dives,
except when alarmed. but merely floats
near the surface of the water, obtain
ing its air supply by means of two little
horns communicating with the atmos-
phere. The most noticeable alteration
which has taken place in it, since the
larva state. is the enlargement of the
upper part of the body; and if this por.
ton be examined under the microscope
there will be found within it, closely
packed together. the wings, legs, head.
beautiful feathered antenna. and the
complicated mouth organs belonging
to the mature gnat.
After q short time passed in this
stage, the pupa, remaining perfectly
still, takes several deep inspirations,
thus swelling the body of the enclosed
gnat, which is by this time quite sepa-
rated from the pupal envelope.
The skin cracks, the gnat energies,
and supports himself upon his discard.
ed covering, until his wings are dried
sufficiently to take to the air. As the
pupal skin on which he rests is so dried
as to be q mere shell, he may be said,
for the second time in his life, to act as
tiny boatman. Presently. however,
he is up and away, to begin a new
phase of existence as a perfect winged
insect. Youths Companion.