GMUND, a city of Wiirttemberg, Ger many, situated in the valley of the Rems, 32 miles S. E. of Stuttgart. It was famous prior to the World War for its manufacture of jewelry and ar ticles of the precious metals, and was also the site of important industries in iron and bronze, notably scientific in struments. It became an Imperial free city in the thirteenth century and re tained its independence until 1903. Pop. about 21,000.
GNAT (nat) a genus of dipterous in sects represented by numerous widely distributed species, and especially abun dant in marshy districts. There are nine British species, of which the common gnat (Culex pipiens) may be taken as typical. The color of the middle portion of the body on the upper surface is yel lowish-brown, marked with darker longi tudinal lines; the posterior part is light gray. The antenna' consist of 14 joints, and bear circlets of hair, which, in the male, may he so long and thick as to give a feathery appearance. The female is
furnished with mandibles which are ab sent in the male. The male gnat sips nectar from the flowers and passes his days in dancing in the sunlight; the fe male spends her days and nights in pur suit of men and cattle from whom she may suck her more nutritious, if less delicate, diet. The proboscis, whose double function of piercing and sucking is an extremely complex structure com posed of representatives of the three usual mouth appendages.
To strain at (an old misprint for out) a gnat and swallow a camel (Matt. xxiii: 24, Authorized Version). To strain out the gnat and swallow the camel. (Re vised Version) : Alluding to the care with which the Jews strained small in sects out of the liquor they were about to drink. To be punctilious about trifles and careless in matters of importance.