The Scottish Naturalist. 211 



shaped, narrow, pale grey, occasionally with a slightly 

 yellower tinge, of a silken lustre ; and a distinct narrow black 

 dorsal line, which is interrupted at the the tip of each segment ; 

 thickish black pubescent; the apex beneath without distinct 

 appendages. Legs black, thighs scarcely slaty ; the hinder and 

 fore thighs with a considerable longish black stiff pubescence ; 

 the middle ones with only a few hairs, and two longish curved 

 ones near the tips ; hinder tibiae with several bristles, the others 

 with only one or two exclusive of those at the tips ; foot-pads 

 dusky above, white beneath. Poisers and the small wing-scales 

 tawny yellow; wings clearish, scarcely slightly obscured, irides- 

 cent, tawny yellow at the base, as is the basal portion of the 

 nervures, the remainder becoming gradually browner ; the costa 

 with a short fine fringe, and without a spine ; the first cross 

 nervure slightly oblique ; the second upright, "and slightly bent. 

 Length 2% lines; expanse of the wings 4^-5 lines. The 

 female is rather smaller, narrow, entirely pale grey, shining ; 

 face white, with ferruginous reflection ; under part of the face, 

 hinder part of the head, and the vertical triangle, grey ; frontal 

 band wide, ferruginous ; eyes with a widish white border which 

 is greyish posteriorly; two bent very indistinct white specks 

 above the antennae ; palpi and antennae black. Thorax without 

 any traces of dusky dorsal lines. Abdomen concolorous, narrow, 

 elliptical ovate. Legs black, thighs slaty or pale grey ; trochan- 

 ters piceous ; thighs less pubescent than in the male ; foot-pads 

 nearly black. Poisers, wing scales, and the base of the wings 

 tawny yellow ; wings clearish, the bristles on the costa rather 

 more distinct than in the male, one very slightly longer before 

 the coming out of the first short nervure ; transverse nervures 

 as in the male. Length 2; breadth 4^ lines. 



Bouchd ("Naturg. Gart. Ins." 132.) mentions a fly ( Antho- 

 myia lactucarum) with similar habits, whose maggot destroys 

 the seeds of lettuces and other allied plants. The characters 

 given are extremely imperfect, but it does not appear to be 

 identical with the species whose history is related above. It 

 is, he says, blackish brown ; the face and the sides of the ab- 

 dominal segments with grey reflections. In the male the wings 

 are brown, with broad stripes of iridescence. The female is 

 entirely obscure grey, and has pale wings. Length 2^ lines 

 It flies in July. 



