called Oistros and Asilus by the Ancients. 355 



particular kind of harsh humming noise (tjy^ov 0ofjt,Su^ti nva, xcii 

 r^ayjj^). The ^ua-v^, on the other hand, he says is like the fly- 

 called by the Greeks xun^ma. ; and although it makes a louder 

 hum than the oia-r^og, he states that it has a smaller sting. 



If we now turn to the poets, we shall find that their account of 

 this insect tallies perfectly with the above description of the an- 

 cient naturalists, but not at all with the modern genus CEstrus. 



Homer describes his CEstrus as aioXos, a word which applies 

 admirably to the most common of all TabanidcB, namely the Taba^ 

 nus pluvialis of Linnaeus, as well as to the insects which now form 

 the genus Chrysops. And the Scholiast, after stating that the 

 (w'Wf OS and (Ji^via^ are very near in affinity, says that the latter differs 

 in having a smaller sting in the mouth, and in being subaeneous 

 in respect to its aspect or fades {\)icoyj*.\x,ov rtjy (ji.o^(pnv), thus evi- 

 dently pointing, as I think, to the difference which exists between 

 the modern genera Tabanus and Hcematopota, the latter having 

 much more splendid eyes. That Homer's insect was not the 

 modern CEstrus may besides be inferred from what he says of the 

 season in which it makes its appearance, 



for there are few cases, I believe, of the modern CEstri appearing 

 earlier than the middle of July. And this circumstance, by the 

 way, leads also to the conclusion, that the English breese or brize 

 is not the modem CEstrus, although it is generally understood so 

 to signify in the following punning lines of Shakespeare : 



" Cleopatra, 

 The breeze upon her, like a cow in June, 

 Hoists sail and flies." 



Now Mouffet, who, both as an entomological observer and as 

 a contemporary of Shakespeare, was likely to know the insect 

 then named brize, says expressly that the breeze, clegg, clingez 



VOL. XIV. 3 A and 



