these larvae turn to flies after having become chrysalides of a 

 bright brown colour; and very few are acquainted with the 

 species that they produce, which was considered by Linneus 

 as a variety of his Musca putris, inhabiting dunghills ; but as 

 we have bred many hundreds of our insect from cheese, which 

 have all perfectly agreed in having variegated legs, and in 

 wanting the black costa to the wings, we can no longer doubt 

 that M. Casei is a distinct species. 



There are probably many species belonging to this genus 

 which was proposed by Mr. Kirby in the Introduction to En- 

 tomology : in addition to the T.putris L. and T. Casei (a fe- 

 male of which is figured), we may safely add, M. vibrans Linn. 

 Swammerdam found the larva would re-animate after being 

 immersed in rain-water 6 or 7 days ; and a lady sent me some 

 specimens that had been bred from larvae that had absolutely 

 had no other food than powdered rhubarb ! — We shall close 

 this article with an amusing extract from the Introduction 

 above alluded to. " These maggots" (says the author) " have 

 long been celebrated for their saltatorious powers. They ef- 

 fect their tremendous leaps — laugh not at the term, for they 

 are truly so when compared with what human force and agi- 

 lity can accomplish — in nearly the same manner as salmon are 

 stated to do when they wish to pass over a cataract, by taking 

 their tail in their mouth, and letting it go suddenly. When it 

 prepares to leap, our larva first erects itself upon its anus, and 

 then bending itself into a circle by bringing its head to its tail, 

 it pushes forth its unguiform mandibles, and fixes them in 2 

 cavities in its anal tubercles. All being thus prepared, it next 

 contracts its body into an oblong, so that the 2 halves are paral- 

 lel to each other. This done, it lets go its hold with so violent a 

 jerk, that the sound produced by its mandibles may be readily 

 heard, and the leap takes place. Swammerdam saw one, 

 whose length did not exceed the fourth part of an inch, jump 

 in this manner out of a box 6 inches deep ; which is as if a 

 man 6 feet high should raise himself in the air by jumping 144? 

 feet ! He had seen others leap a great deal higher." 



The plant is Anethum Fceniculum (Common Fennel). 



