S. ?wtata. L. 



156 AN ACCOUNT OF BRITISH FLIES. 



(Tipula iatrviariun, Deg. 



T. scatopse, Grnel. 

 J T. albipenfiis^ F. 

 I ►S". dece/nnodia, Scop. 



^S. nigra, Geoff. 

 \S. punctata, Mg., Zett. 



Black and shiny. The thorax ancj scutelluin, and sometimes tlie 

 abdomen, have a whitish, yellow or yellowish-brown stripe ; this 

 marking is not, however, always present. Antenna deep black. 

 Legs deep black ; tarsi black or brown ; the metatarsus of the hind 

 leg in the $ is very short, hardly half as long as the next tarsal joint. 

 Halteres yellowish-brown. Wings limpid ; the third longitudinal 

 vein joins the costa at its extremity, viz., at about two-thirds of the 

 length of the wing ; the costal, lirst, second and third veins dark, rest 

 pale ; the fourth forked, petiole of fork long and curved gently down- 

 wards, arising from the third slightly nearer the base than the trans- 

 verse veinlet ; sixth vein very undulating. There are slight indica- 

 tions of a transverse veinlet running from the upper branch of the 

 fork to the third vein. Length i to li lin. 



This is an abundant species, and may be found from May to 

 September in very varied places, such as on flowers and on windows, 

 especially in conservatories. I have also found them very abundant 

 flying over open drains and foul ditches in Cambridgeshire. At 

 certain times this fly is very abundant and appears in swarms. 

 Walker says : " They occasionally dwell in clusters beneath the bark 

 of pales." The larvae live in rank farmyard manure and also in 

 decaying vegetable matter. Large numbers of this fly may be taken 

 flying over the former. I have especially noticed this in the early 

 spring. 



S. scutellata, \m. = S. picea, Hoff., Wlk. 



Deep black ; thorax yellowish on each side, also sometimes the 

 sides of the abdomen. Antennae black. Legs blackish-brown. 

 Bases of tibise pale. Halteres pale. Wings limpid ; second longi- 

 tudinal vein about one-third length of wing ; third joins costal at its 

 apex on the upper border of the wing. The above veins tawny, 

 dark. Fourth forked, fork narrow ; eighth nearly straight ; sixth 

 very slightly undulating and a rudiment of a seventh vein present. 

 Length i to U hn. 



An abundant species, and appears often in great swarms in the 

 oak and other trees, feeding on the honeydew of the green fly in the 

 autumn. 



