254 The Scottish Naturalist. 



cedure, I shall take a future occasion to point out the methods 

 to be employed in working at special groups. 



The Breck, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. 



MEMOIRS ON SCOTTISH DIPTERA. 



By JAMES HARDY, 

 Secretary of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, &c. 



No. III.-ANTHOMYIA JACOB^Lffi sp. nov. (The Ragwort-seed Fly.) 



HAVE recently noticed a fly which, on three separate occa- 

 sions, deposited her ova on the flowers of the ragwort {Smecio 

 Jacobcza), both in the expanded and the half-opened stages. Its 

 ceconomy corresponds with that of A. sonchi, to which it bears a 

 considerable resemblance. The white eggs are elongate, sub- 

 elliptical. The shining black apical joint of the abdomen is 

 rendered very conspicuous during oviposition \ and the female 

 is easily captured while thus engaged. I am unacquainted with 

 the male ; the female I obtained on the 7th of August. 



They?y is considerably larger than A. sonchi> although closely 

 related to it. It is of a pale grey ; the face satiny white, with 

 yellowish testaceous reflection, which is browner on the lower 

 part of the cheeks ; the space under the antennae very light 

 grey, with white reflections ; edges of the mouth pale testaceous* 

 and furnished with several stiff black bristles ; lower part of the 

 face not prominent ; frontal band wide, ferruginous, the hinder 

 portion brown ; a white shining spot above the base of the 

 antennae ; the eye-margin wideish, white anteriorly, posteriorly 

 pale grey, with about five strong curved bristles (lying in oppo- 

 site directions, and rising from black points,) on each side, and 

 two on each side of the vertex ; the eyelet triangle, hinder part 

 of the head, and lower part of the face, pale grey ; two narrow 

 faint fuscous lines on the hinder head, in a line with the margins 

 of the eyes ; trunk rather pitchy at the apex ; palpi black, 

 slightly thickened outwardly ; antennae black, third joint sub- 

 cylindric, seta distinctly short-feathered; eyes brown, naked. 

 Thorax stoutish, pale grey, the sides scarcely lighter ; a pale 

 brown short line near the middle of the back ; a darker patch 



