104 Bulletin Wisconsin Natural History Society. [Vol. 7, Nos. 3-4. 



remarks on page 355 of the same article, this comparison was 

 introduced simply to show what Wesche has perhaps more 

 clearly stated when he says : "It will thus be seen that the Phorid 

 venation is but of small assistance to the systematise as in spite 

 of its being so simple, striking and peculiar, it has led to very 

 divergent opinions." This fully supports my contention that the 

 superficial resemblance between the venation of Phoridse, Aspistes, 

 Mycetophila, Scatopse, Olfersia, ct ah, is of very questionable 

 value in tracing Phorid relationships. 



Both of us seem to be in full accord in associating the Lon- 

 chopteridae and Phoridse, which is also the position taken by most 

 recent dipterists. Beyond this, however, we appear to be almost 

 completely at variance, as Wesche would assume that the Phoridse 

 show a closer, or at least a very close, affinity with the Dolichopo- 

 didse. 



There are indeed many resemblances between the two families, 

 but there are also a number of wide differences which I consider 

 quite fundamental. 



As to the venation, I think there is little more to be said, for 

 it seems quite certain that it offers but few available data. There 

 is one point, however, on which I cannot agree with Wesche ; that 

 is in calling the nebulous thickening near the costa beyond the 

 tip of the third vein a vestige of the apical part of the third ( which 

 he calls the second) vein. It is evidently of adventitious origin, 

 for among Diptera it is always the case, so far as I know, that 

 the costal vein when not encircling the entire wing, ends sharply 

 where it meets the tip of one of the longitudinal veins, usually the 

 third or fourth. That is to say, the point where the costa and 

 the longitudinal vein meet may vary in different forms, but their 

 junction always marks sharply the end of both. This makes it 

 almost certain that this thickening in the Phoridse is of secondary 

 origin. 



I must confess that I was mistaken in assuming that the artic- 

 ulation of the third antennal joint of the Phoridse is so unique 

 among Diptera. Wesche shows in this paper that the Dolichopo- 

 didse have a somewhat similar arrangement, which he regards as 

 a strong mark of affinity between them. I have therefore been 

 led to examine the antennae of a species of Borborus (B. cquinus 

 Fall.) and find, contrary to my expectations, that this species 

 shows a closely similar method of attachment to that exhibited by 

 the Phoridse (Fig. 1), a fact which still further confirms my 



