290 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Nov., '04 



At no time did I see her move towards a male except by 

 backing towards him. The males acted very ungallantly, as 

 when she approached one near enough to touch him with her 

 setae, he would fly up in the air with a peculiar little hopping 

 flight and land an inch or two away. When one rejected her 

 advances she stood still for a moment and waved from side to 

 side until she got the direction of another and backed towards 

 him, only to have the same thing repeated. Once she flew 

 out of the window alighting on the window-sill ; immediately 

 several of the males followed ; she stayed on the sill but a 

 minute or two, then flew onto the blotter again, bringing her 

 train of admirers with her. I then captured her and her fol- 

 lowing. Once again during the evening a female flew into 

 the window followed by four males ; they remained for two or 

 three minutes and then flew away. Although the window 

 was open and the gas burning until after midnight, at no time 

 did any of the males come in except they were preceded by a 

 female. 



The insects I sent to Mr. Nathan Banks who kindly deter- 

 mined the species for me. 



The " Yellow-Fly" of the Dismal Swamp 

 BY NATHAN BANKS 



Several times I have heard those who have travelled in the 

 Dismal Swamp tell of the "yellow fly' which infests that 

 region at certain times of the year. All accounts had put it 

 down as one of the worst biting flies known to the traveller. 

 Specimens, however, were never available, and until lately I 

 supposed it was some local species of Chrysops. Recently a 

 friend visited the region and was severely bitten ; he obtained 

 specimens, and these, on examination, prove to be Diachlorus 

 fermgatus Fabr., a Tabanid more closely allied to Tabamts 

 than to Chrysops. 



This species has been reported from Mexico, Florida and 

 the Carolinas. The specimens sent me came from the Vir- 

 ginia portion of the swamp, and were taken about the 14!!! of 



