The Microscope and Biology. By W. Wesche. 415 



S. ortas Wk., a New Zealand fly, has the same, with much the 

 same size in the granules, but a careful inspection shows an un- 

 familiar detail in the sculpturing. 



There are some pollen granules of willow-herb (Bplloblum) f 

 mixed with a greater number of that of other flowers, in the 

 abdomen of Syritta plplens L. $ . 



Two preparations of Ery stalls arbustorum L. show a mass of 

 partially digested pollen and also a great number of black debris, 

 broken up into large pieces, and occasionally somewhat crystalline 

 forms. 



Conopod^e. — Most of my preparations only show digested food, 

 but Alyopa buccata L. shows some pollen granules. 



QEstkid^e. — I find nothing in the abdomen of Gastrophllus equl 

 L. £ , as might be expected from the fact that in this insect the 

 mouth-parts are nearly totally absent. 



Tachinid^e. — Oliiiera lateralis F. $ shows a unicellular growth 

 of low type — it may be a fungus that grows in the balsam, defying 

 caustic potash and acetic acid. Another £ shows a few pollen- 

 grains, and the jaws of larvae, showing her to be viviparous. 



As might be expected from the trophi, which are modified into 

 long styles for probing the nectaries of flowers, the abdomens of 

 Prosena and Slphona show nothing. 



Muscid^e. — I have a preparation of Stomoxys calcltrans L. £ 

 which gives a good example of digested blood ; very often the 

 abdomen is empty. A female bit me on the ankle, through a 

 merino sock, in September last. I drove her off, but she returned 

 to the same spot, and I placed the cyanide bottle over her. The 

 short labium of this insect is scarcely fitted for penetrating through 

 clothing. 



One preparation of M. domestlca $ shows the appearance of 

 having fed on the juices of meat, and has already been alluded to ; 

 another $ shows an amorphous mass, which has some angular 

 fragments of a dark colour ; while a third, £ , shows a conglome- 

 rate of circular dark bodies, which are probably partially digested 

 pollen-granules. 



Calllphora graenlandlca Ztt. shows the usual dark granular 

 mass. 



Lucllla (?) has a number of angular black bodies, and a fewer 

 number of fragments of what appears to be chitin, mixed with the 

 usual mass. 



Morellla curvlpes Mcq. Both sexes of this insect show a mass 

 of pollen, one or two black pieces, as in Lticilia above, and a 

 reddish mass of digested food. These were captured in a hayfield 

 in June. 



Anthomyid^e. — Polletes lardaria F. contains a granular dirty 

 mass and very minute shining granules of pollen (?). Captured 

 in Epping Forest, where all the flies were covered with it. 



