marked how much the dead ones obtained wherever there 

 were many of these flies : this however is only conjecture." 



" They fly slowly and keep close to the ground, making a 

 buzzing noise very much like bees, for which they are often 

 mistaken : they seldom remain long in the air, keep much to 

 one situation, rather congregating, and settle with their wings 

 half open on the burning sand." 

 1. G. capitata De Gcer, VI. tab. l.f. 3.? 



Black, head inflated ochreous, palpi of the same colour, 2 

 basal joints of antennae castaneous; face silvery; thorax gri- 

 seous, with 4< black lines down the back, sides castaneous ; 

 scutellum ochreous, underside of abdomen and a large spot 

 on each side subpellucid ferruginous, leaving the apical joint 

 and a stripe down the back black; base of the segments silvery. 



I have some doubt about the species from which this de- 

 scription is taken: all the specimens are smaller than Meigen's, 

 those taken by Capt. Blomer at Teignmouth, Devonshire, 

 being 4| lines long, and some of the French specimens are 

 about 1 line longer. 



2. nervosa PVint. — Meig. v. 5. p. 4. ?i. 6. 



" Thorax griseous-fuscous, striped black ; abdomen ferru- 

 ginous with a black dorsal stripe ; transverse apical nervure 

 black at the base." — Mcig. 



This and the following have been recorded as natives of the 

 neighbourhood of London, but 1 have never seen specimens. 



3. auriceps Meig. 5. p. 5. n. 7. 



"Thorax blackish; abdomen rufous, dorsal stripe and apex 

 black, with white spots; head fulvous." — Meig. 

 8. ruficeps Meig. P—Curt. Brit. Ent. pi. 533 ? . 



Black, shining, clothed with strong black bristles; palpi 

 and 2 basal joints of antennae ferruginous, 3rd cinereous: 

 head castaneous, face silvery-white, a spot on the crown and 

 the hinder part black and gray, producing fine whitish hairs 

 behind ; thorax and scutellum with a bluish gray bloom, the 

 former hoary before, with 4 black lines and several black dots 

 between them and on the hinder portion : abdomen with the 

 base of the segments (excepting the 1st) glittering bluish gray, 

 varying in different lights, sometimes forming 3 spots down 

 each side : wings slightly fuscous, ochreous at the base, and 

 most of the nervures tinted with the same colour; squamulae 

 dull white: middle of tibiae subcastaneous. ikfa/^ much smaller, 

 and there is no black frontal stripe in either sex in our spe- 

 cimens. 



For the loan of this fine insect I am indebted to Waller 

 Clifton, Esq., who took it the middle of June 1831 under the 

 cliff" near Dover, towards Folkestone; the male I captured the 

 20th of last June at Caistor Marrams near Yarmouth, Norfolk. 



The Plant is Carex Pseudo-cyperus (Bastard Cyperus Carex). 



