FLIES. 225 



slender, nearly half an inch in length, and are found resting on 

 low plants. The females also frequent cow-dung, heaps of garden 

 refuse, etc., in which the larvae feed. Several other genera of this 

 family exhibit a metallic coloration, while others are black, often 

 more or less varied with white or yellow. 



Family XVII. — Acanthomeridce. 



Antennae with the third joint long, conical, annulated, tapering 

 at the extremity, but not provided with a bristle; eyes not con- 

 tiguous ; abdomen very broad and compressed, last three joints 

 small, forming the oviduct ; legs slender ; intermediate tibiae with 

 two small apical spines ; hind femora with one spine beneath in 

 the male. 



The genus Acanthomera, Wied., is met with throughout the 

 warmer parts of America, from Mexico to Chili. The typical species, 

 A. Pida, Wied., is found in Brazil, and measures rather more than 

 an inch in length. The head is brown, and the thorax grey, with 

 three darker bands ; the scutellum is black, with whitish sides, 

 and the abdomen is black, with two white spots on each side, 

 both above and below. 



Family XVIII. — Tahanidce. 



Head short, quadrangular, as broad or broader than the 

 thorax, more or less convex in front ; antennae apj^roximating at 

 the base, the third joint annulated ; proboscis strong, and very 

 prominent ; eja^s contiguous in the male, and separated in the 

 female ; ocelli absent or present ; scutellum unarmed ; abdomen 

 rather long and broad, slightly depressed ; legs moderately long 

 and thick. The larvae live in damp earth, and the males frequent 

 flowers, while the females live on the blood of animals. 



The Gad-Flies are moderate-sized or large flies, found in all 

 parts of the world, and are often conspicuous and handsome 

 insects. The habits of all the species are very similar, and they 

 are exceedingly annoying to animals, and do not scruple to attack 

 man himself, especially in bushy places, or near water. Their 

 bites, though painful and annoying, are not usually dangerous; 

 but it is believed in most parts of the Continent that they 

 frequently convey the infection of a most dangerous cattle-disease, 

 variously known as anthrax, splenetic apoplexy, or Siberian 

 plague. This, however, is questioned by some recent authors. 



Our largest British species is Tabanus Bovinus, Linn., which 



P 



