DIPTERA. 487 



account of the remarkable jumps which they can make. 

 This is accomplished by first bringing the head and tail ends 

 together and then suddenly straightening the body. In this 

 way one of these maggots can jump several inches. 



To the genus Ephydra (Eph'y-dra) of the subfamily 

 Ephydrince (Eph-y-dri'nae) belong several species the larvae 

 of which live in marine or strongly alkaline waters. In the 

 far West and in Mexico these larvae occur in the alkaline 

 lakes in countless numbers ; and are washed ashore in such 

 quantities that bushels of them can be collected. They are 

 gathered by the Indians, who dry them and use them for 

 food, which they call Koo-cha'bee. 



The Pomace-flies. These are certain small yellowish 

 flies from one-eighth to one-sixth of an inch in length, which 

 are very common about the 

 refuse of cider-mills, decaying 

 fruit, and fermenting vats of 

 grape pomace. These are the 

 pomace flies ; and their larvae 

 live in the decaying fruit. 

 A very common species is 

 the Vine-loving Pomace-fly, FlG ' w-- 

 Drosophila ampelopliila (Dro-soph'i-la am-pe-loph'i-la) (Fig. 



594). 



Family HIPPOBOSCID.E (Hip-po-bos'ci-dae). 

 The Louse-flies. 



The louse-flies are very abnormal flies that, in the adult 

 state, live like lice, parasitically, upon the bodies of birds 

 and mammals. Some species are winged, others are wing- 

 less, and still others are winged for a time and then lose 

 their wings. 



The body is depressed ; the head is closely attached to 

 the thorax, which is notched to receive it. The antennae 

 are apparently one-jointed, v"t.h a terminal bristle or style; 

 they are situated in a depression near the mouth. The 



