HARD IVICKE'S SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



153 



November, but not a single specimen could be 

 found, and the pursuit had to be abandoned until 

 the following year. 



In the spring of 1885, 1 found a solitary pair, which 

 I was fortunate enough to capture. Mr. Meade also 

 took a pair in the Isle of Man, during the early 

 summer months, and, although diligently sought for 

 subsequently no further specimens were taken by 

 him. In July, I found one specimen at Ilfracombe, 

 a female ; these captures comprise the entire collec- 

 tion I have been able to make of this species. I 

 may safely say I have walked over a hundred miles, 

 specially in quest of this creature, and altogether 

 have been rewarded with about ten specimens — a 

 result I would have conceived scarcely possible had 

 I not so very practically proved it. 



pterate muscidse. They are closely allied to the' 

 Scatophagidae, but differ from them by having the 

 abdomen of the male more elongated, cylindrical, 

 and furnished with large projecting sub-anal appen- 

 dages (male organs). They have also shorter wings, 

 less hairy bodies, and usually a thicker soft proboscis, 

 and not of a shining black colour as in the Scato- 

 phagies." 



Description of Ccratinostoma oceanum. — This fly 

 is of a slate colour, with an olive-green tinge, the 

 abdomen being covered with grey tomentum. The 

 thorax is marked with four olive-brown stripes, the 

 lateral ones being irregular and maculiform in shape, 

 the inner ones linear in front, and moderately wide 

 and straight in the middle and posteriorly. The 

 abdomen has the posterior edge of the segments 



1000'" OF AN INCH 



Fig. 79. — Teeth of Ceratinostoma oceanum. 



The fly frequents the debris thrown up by the tide, 

 and rocks not much removed from high-tide level ; 

 it is exceedingly wary, and somewhat difficult to 

 capture, taking flight before one can get well within 

 reach of it. It is of a slate colour, with an olive-green 

 tinge, and, as a large portion of the rocks in the 

 Penarth section comprise the tea-green marls of the 

 Rhaetic series, the difficulty of following the flight of 

 the creature is very materially increased. In size it 

 is somewhat smaller than the common dung-fly, 

 in shape the sexes differ considerably. 



The following description of the genus and species 

 has been kindly placed at my disposal by Mr. 

 Meade, and may be interesting to readers of Science- 

 Gossip who devote any attention to the generally 

 despised Diptera. 



General Description. — "The Cordyluridie belong 

 to the more highly developed portion of the Acaly- 



marked with narrow yellowish lines ; these are 

 sometimes indistinct, and it is clothed with very short 

 black or dark grey hairs. The -male anal organs are 

 smaller than in most of the other species. The 

 forehead and frontal stripe are black in both sexes. 

 The antennae are black, but the second joint has a 

 rufous tinge, and white reflexions. The arista, or 

 style, is rather short, thickened at the base and 

 distinctly plumose. The palpi are 'long, rather 

 dilated at their extremities, of a yellowish-white 

 colour, and clothed with short black hairs. The 

 oral setae are short. The proboscis is pendulous, 

 horny, and of a shining pitchy black colour. The 

 wings have a slight brownish tinge, and have the 

 third and fourth longitudinal veins divergent at their 

 extremities. The legs are entirely of a leaden 

 greyish-black colour, and are clothed with short 

 reddish hairs, on the under surfaces of the cox;e and 



