15 



rilK MKK IlISTOKV OF TlIK KLACK llOUSKKLV . 



{Taba)ius ulnihis I"';il)riciiis.) ' 



This is a coiiimoii species ovri' a wide vnuixc of territory, and 

 lijis hci'ii taken in several sections of l.oiiisiaiui. In many places 

 ii is called the black gadfly, and I have ol'tt'ii heard the name 

 ■honcpickci-" applied to it. This laltcr name is sug-^'ested, I 

 sr-ppose, on aeeouiit of the ability ii cxhibils for bitini;- animals 

 in u'eiieral. It is such a eommo:! iiiscd thai (»ne nnnht suppose 

 that cvci-y item of its life hislofv is di'finiti-iy known, bid. sucU 

 i- not the ea.se. It is easy cnou'^h to find the eu'us in season,. 

 «■!(! fi-om these it is easy to .uct the yonny- by liatehinu-, but on 

 acconnt of its lon^- lai-val period the intei-mediate staiivs betweeit 

 thc vei-y youn>:- and the malni-e larvae seem not to have been- 

 observed. The mature larvae have l)een collected by nuuiy oh 

 sei-vei's and in a variety of places. The first ones were found in 

 rotten logs, and for a time it was tlumght that they were found 

 o'.dy in such places: but they may be jjrocured by digging in 

 the ground in the vicinity of poiuls. undei- stones on diteli banks, 

 taken from the water witli dip nets, picked up while swimming 

 on the surface of the water, and freciueutly in the most un- 

 exi>ected places. . _ 



Fig. 9.- — EgK-cluster <it' Mack horse- 

 fly (TabanuK (itiaiii>i). with a sliiirle e^jr 

 Khowin}^ a parasiir within ; t'liUir^'oci. 

 (After Hart. Itull. Ills. Si.ii.. l.:il>.. Vol- 

 ume IV. I 



They seem to remain on the surface of the water with the 

 utuKist easi'. aii(l move from cne pince lo anothei- by their own 



