358 Mr. W.S. MacLzax on the Insect 
first insect, which Linnzus considered to be the Œstrus of the 
ancients, appears to have been a species of the modern genus 
Asilus, probably the Asilus crabroniformis, as we learn from his 
Lachesis Lapponica. This was a gross error; and he soon rec- 
tified it, as he thought, by adopting the opinion of Valisnieri. It 
is not indeed unlikely that some of the ancients* should, like 
Valisnieri, have seen the perfect insects of the modern Œstrus 
flying about cattle, and that they should have witnéssed the 
extraordinary agitation which they produce: but however this 
may be, they certainly appear to have always confounded such 
insects with the more common Tabani ; for it is the modern Ta- 
banus, or some genus extremely near to it, that they have always 
described as the o/zzeec. — — 
I shall take this opportunity of quoting a passage from Mouf- 
fet, which proves that he was acquainted with the modern genus 
(Estrus, although he did not confound it with the ancient ofrgos. 
The passage will also show us how valuable is the information 
sometimes to be procured from this obsolete work ; since, if we 
connect it with what Reaumur has said of the Œstrus equi, we 
have almost the whole economy of this interesting insect : 
** His proximé accedit alia musca bobus et jumentis interdiu 
sole fervido infesta, quam Pennius Curvicaudam sive rzoñovgòv 
jure appellat. Semper enim cruribus aut ventri jumenti insi- 
dens, caudam versus ipsam recurvam tenet et spiculum exertum 
quo ad percutiendum cauda sit paratior (dirregov orsoboxerrgov). 
* Aristotle was not certainly one of these ancients; for he could never have seen a 
female of the modern Œstrus, as appears from his stating that no dipterous insect has 
its sting placed behind. It seems however to have escaped the notice of naturalists, 
that this great philosopher was acquainted with, and has described the larva of one of 
the modern family of (Estride ; and, as is rather singular, precisely that larva which 
Reaumur describes as infesting the fauces of the stag, but of which the perfect insect 
eae still unascertained.—See Arist. Hist. Anim. lib. ii. c. 18; and Reaum. tom. v. 
7—77. ~ 
Hanc 
