BY GERALD F. HILL. 765 



to the East and South-East of Darwin, are habitually infested, 

 and show the characteristic sores as found on domestic cattle and 

 wild Brahmin cattle, but to a lesser degree, owing, no doubt, to 

 the thickness of the skin, and the protection afforded by the 

 submersion of the body and neck in mud or water for long 

 periods throughout the day, and often to a protective coat of 

 adhesive mud. 



The habit of attacking man is exceptional in this species, 

 although one is occasionally bitten while riding Hy-infested 

 horses. As has been stated above, wild buffaloes are habitually 

 infested. While hunting these animals, it has been noticed that 

 Lyperosias do not feed or rest upon a freshly skinned beast, but 

 transfer themselves to the hunters' horses. In these circum- 

 stances, those engaged in skinning are not infrequently bitten, 

 especially if the })art is blood-stained or moist with sweat. 

 Several species of Tabanidse, not usually prone to bite man, will 

 do so under similar circumstances. 



Intruduction info Australia and Local Distrihutioti. 



It is reasonable to suppose that the first importations of 

 Lyperosia were made with some of the early shipments of stock 

 (buffaloes, cattle, and ponies) fi-um the East Indies, since 1824. 

 That these flies can be transported by sea, a short distance at 

 any rate, has been proved by the writer, who recently travelled 

 from Port Darwin to the Daly River (90 miles by sea) in a small 

 vessel, which carried two young bulls for the settlement situated 

 about 60 miles up the river. A score or more flies were carried 

 on these beasts for three days, and were dislodged only when 

 their hosts were lowered into the river to swim ashore. 



The distribution of the Buffalo-fly appears to coincide fairly 

 well with the spread of the introduced buffaloes, which now roam 

 wild over a large area of country roughly bounded by the Daly 

 River on the south-west, the Roper River on the south, the 

 Liverpool or perhaps the Goyder River on the west, and the 

 littoral on the north. Although stray buffaloes have been found 

 beyond these natural boundaries, the fly does not appear to have 



