26o The Orders of Insects 



flies with broad iiead, pointed in front and concave behind, fitting 

 closely to the thorax. The feelers are three-segmented with ringed 

 terminal segment, the eyes very large, in the male occupying nearly 

 all the head-area. The thorax is flat above, and the scutellum not 

 spined. The costal nervure is continued around the wing-margin. 

 The legs are long and stout, sometimes hairy, but without stiff 

 bristles. The hind-body is large and broad with seven visible 

 segments. Mandibles and maxills are developed as formidable 

 piercing organs, and the flies suck the blood of mammals ; the species 

 of Tabanus cause great annoyance to cattle, and those of Hinmatopota 

 to men and horses. The larvs are elongate, fleshy maggots with 

 small retractile heads; they live in damp earth and feed on snails, 

 slugs, and beetle-grubs. The incomplete pups lie freely in earthen 

 cells. The Tabanids are generally distiibuted. 



Leptidae. — The Leptida; or Snipe-fues are of moderate size clothed 

 with short, scanty hair. They have the thorax very short and broad, 

 the hind-body long and stout, the legs slender and the wings large. 

 The feelers have three segments, whereof the last is short and conical, 

 or round with a long, feathered bristle at the tip. The proboscis is 

 long, thick, and cylindrical pointing downwards from the head and 

 the Leptids prey therewith on small insects. The larva; live under- 

 ground ; and the pups lie freely in earthen cells. The family is 

 generally distributed. 



Asilidae. — The AsiUJce or Hawk-flies are large robust flies with a 

 dense, hairy covering, and difl"ering from the preceding families in 

 bearing large stiff bristles. The head is short and bioad and the eyes 

 very convex; the feelers have three segments, the last with or with- 

 out bristle or claw at the tip. The mandibles and blades of the first 

 maxills are strong piercers, and the sucker is short. The thorax is 

 markedly narrowed in front, the head therefore appearing very 

 prominent. The long, tapering hind-body has eight visible segments. 

 The wings are large with forked ulnar nervure and a discoidal cell, 

 while the legs are stout and moderately long. The flies prey on 

 weaker insects, but the larvse live like those of allied families in damp 

 earth. The family is generally distributed. 



Midasidae. — The MiJjsiJa- are another family of large flies of 

 prey, resembling the Asilidae in aspect but distinguished readily by 

 the four or five-segmented feelers. The family is widely distributed 

 in the tropics, but only a single species reaches southern Europe. 

 Some of the larvje are known to be parasitic on longhorn beetles. 



Bombyliidae. — The BomhyHidcr are a family of flies which resemble 

 humble-bees in appearance. The head is small, the body usually 

 robust and clothed with woolly hair. The three-segmented feelers 

 have a bristle or claw at the tip ; the mandibles and blades of the first 

 maxillsE are piercing organs, and the sucker is usually very long. 

 The legs are slender and weak, the wings relatively large with forked 

 ulnar nervure and many cells. The larvx live in damp earth, and 

 the flies suck honey from flowers. The family is generally distributed. 



