HAEDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



375 



Myopa (afra) is not a false one, for, with the excep- 

 tion of the face, which is whitish, and the brick-red 

 eyes, it is all black, or at least a very dark brown. 

 The whole body is smooth and shining, and has 

 fewer hairs than the other species. The wings are 

 transparent, and the halteres white. Eig. 100 repre- 

 sents the head of this species, and by it may be seen 

 how the antennae and mouth differ from those of 

 Conops. The mouth, besides having a joint in it, 

 is pointed at the tip. The capillary channels of the 

 lobes of the labium are five or six in number on 

 each side. There are about the same number in 

 the labium of a Conops. The maxillae of Myopa do 

 not project from the integument like those of 

 Conops, but are quite internal, as in the Muscidse. 

 The maxillary palpi are very short, although not 

 quite so minute as the palpi of Conops. 



This and the other two species of Myopa are not 

 so common as the two described first. M. atra we 

 have found occasionally at Oxford, but 31. fasciata 

 and M. buccata we have never yet met with. 



We are aware that these papers are very imper- 

 fect, especially in the matter of " life-histories " ; 

 but, as explained in the first paper, they are only 

 intended as " Notes " ; and if we may be so vain as 

 to expect it, we hope that others may be induced 

 by our remarks to take up the Diptera as a study, 

 instead of traversing again the well-worn tracks of 

 Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. A few more papers 

 on orders generally neglected by amateur entomolo- 

 gists — the Diptera, Hymenoptera, or Orthoptera, 

 for instance — would be a pleasing variety in what 

 is generally known as " Entomology," and possibly 

 more interesting than those " records of captures " 

 of rare butterflies, of which enthusiastic " Lepi- 

 dopterists " contribute so many to the pages of our 

 entomological magazines. 



E. J. Allen & H. M. J. Undekhill. 



THE "ELOWEES OP THE EOREST." 



rnHE New Eorest is not very full of wild flowers, 

 -*- the reason being that the herds of ponies and 

 cattle eat down everything they can get at. But 

 they do nothing to what the deer did in former 

 days. A deer would eat a young fir-tree off close 

 to the ground, besides keeping down all the herbage 

 it came near. 



May is the month in which really to enjoy the 

 New Eorest ; the colours are so varied, the air so 

 fresh, and the troublesome forest flies not yet come 

 out. It is true, May this year has been very cold, 

 and a bitter east wind has kept the foliage back. 

 We had driven southwards in our pony-trap, from 

 the borders of Hertfordshire, in hopes of finding 

 warmer weather, and near Lyndhurst the sun was 

 warm enough for wandering in the forest to be 

 very pleasant. 



The beeches were out in fullest and freshest leaf, 

 the oaks scarcely in leaf at all. The way in which 

 the hollies grow is beautiful ; they have none of the 

 stiffness and formality we are apt to associate with 

 them, and do not look prickly. They climb across 

 the beech stems, and, growing up between their 

 strong arms, throw out long graceful trails amongst 

 the young green of the beech leaves. Some hollies 

 that I saw grew actually from out of the trunk of 

 the beech tree, and formed part of it. My com- 

 panion cut several capital walking-sticks from 

 upright shoots of hollies. 



The ferns had scarcely begun to unfold, but there 

 were beds of wood-sorrel growing thinly over the 

 dead leaves. I found some that had a bright pink 

 blossom with darker lines. 



The mosses in the bogs were brilliant in vivid 

 shades of green, set with ruby patches of sun-dew 

 (Drosera rotundifolia) not yet in blossom. The sun- 

 dew's hairy little leaves were at work catching 

 flies. I brought a specimen home, in which the 

 poor fly struggled in gummy toils until its death. 



Wild moorland tracts were bright with gorse. 

 Nowhere before had I seen this blossom in such 

 splendid masses of colour; where there was no 

 gorse the moor was somewhat dull and brown with 

 last year's heather, but much enlivened by the red 

 catkins of " sweet gale," not yet in leaf, and the 

 little creeping willow. There were beds of water 

 ranunculus in the streams, and many water-lily 

 leaves in quiet corners. 



The bilberry, with its pretty pink blossoms and 

 very light leaves, grew thickly under the trees 

 nearly everywhere in the forest. The may was 

 scarcely out, but crab-apple bushes were in full 

 blossom, and looked specially bright upon the 

 bleak commons. One of the gayest " Elowers of 

 the Eorest" was Pedicular is sylvatica, whose Eng- 

 lish name is so ugly; we found it all through the 

 Eorest and in the marshes, often looking "eaten 

 down," but always cheerful, gladdening us with 

 rose-colour where no other flowers seemed to grow. 



One of our pleasantest botanical finds was on a 

 bare tract of country on our way from Beaulieu to 

 Boldre. There was nothing to enliven apparent 

 desolation except gravel-pits, which had filled with 

 water and were covered with the leaves of aquatic 

 plants. As we drove quickly along we caught 

 sight of a shallow pond covered with a light- 

 coloured erect blossom. It proved to be the buck- 

 bean {Menyanthes trifoliata), with trefoil leaves and 

 spikes of lilac flowers growing out of the water. 



In the woods near Minstead were beds of lilies 

 of the valley in full blossom, which seemed to be 

 growing wild ; but we found they had been intro- 

 duced by some one at the Mansion-house. 



One morning we spent at Beaulieu ; and although 

 the tide was low, leaving a wide expanse of mud, 

 we could still enjoy the beauty of the place. We 



