181 Qiieries and Answers. 



of Plymouth ; in compliment to whom, I propose, if it has 

 not been previously described, to apply to it the epithet Ban- 

 nan/. The only distinction which I can find between it and 

 G. stercorarius is the very striking appearance of two circular 

 spots, one on each elytron, not far from the apex (tip), of a 

 dull red or orange colour, with a black spot in the centre ; 

 the whole exactly resembling, in form and size, the ocelli on 

 the upper wings of Hipparchi« Janira^, or meadow brown 

 butterfly, but differing in hue. It is of about 9 lines in length, 

 and of a somewhat brownish black above, and bronzed with 

 tints of copper and violet beneath. Mr. Bannan has taken, 

 in this neighbourhood, two individuals perfectly alike. The 

 specimen taken secondly has been accidentally destroyed ; but 

 that taken first is in the highest preservation. Is it an unde- 

 scribed species, or an undescribed variety only ? — W* A, 

 Brornfield, Plymouth, July 15. 1832. 



Larvce of the Syrphidce, — It is stated in p. 283. oi Insect 

 Transformations, that the maggots of this family attach them- 

 selves to a leaf or a plant ; but in p. 5. it is asserted that they 

 live in common sewers. Which of these two statements is 

 the correct one ? I incline to believe in the latter. — J, H, F. 



[Both statements are correct. The larva of one of the 

 Syrphidae is found attached to the leaves of the hop plant, 

 and destroys, for its food, great numbers of the A^phis humuli, 

 which, in some seasons, commits most serious injury to the 

 health and welfare of this plant, and consequently to the crop 

 of hops. All this is taught us by Rusticus of Godalming, in 

 the Entomological Magazine, vol. i. p. 223., and the editor's 

 footnote. Off a hop plant in our garden we, in 1 833, bred one 

 or tw^o of this syrphideous fly; at least we suppose of the very 

 same species : a competent entomologist has named our spe^ 

 cimen, Syrphus balteatus. 



Of the larva or maggot of another of the Syrphidae, the 

 Eristalis (Musca) tenax, it may safely be said, sewers, and the 

 filthiest of places. Of this larva and its habits a pleasing de- 

 scription will be found in Samouelle's Entomological Cabinet, 

 No. ii. t. 3., where a figure of the fly, and of the cast skin of 

 its pupa, are given. " In the larva state, when it is called 

 ' the rat-tailed worm,' it breathes through a tail formed of re- 

 tractile tubes, like a telescope, capable of being contracted or 

 extended, according to the varying depth of the larva in the 

 mud below." [Entomologia Edi7iensis, p. 35.) 



This fly is an interesting creature, in autumn, on the blos- 

 soms of ivy, and the Compositae, as starvvorts, sunflowers, &c. ; 

 and a hundred interesting facts on it, eligible for threading 

 into a history of its habits, might be noted.] 



