354 IXSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



which this fly, like others, has a power of contracting at 

 pleasure."* 



In another work he is still more explicit. "This well- 

 known fly," he says, "hovers the whole day over the back 

 of the reindeer, with its tail protruded and a little bent, 

 upon the point of which it holds a small white egg, scarcely 

 so large as a mustard-seed, and when it has placed itself in 

 a perjDendicular position, it drops its egg, Avhich rolls down 

 amongst the hair to the skin, where it is hatched by the 

 natural heat and perspiration of the reindeer, and the grub 

 eats its way slowly under the skin, causing a bump as large 

 as an acorn."-]- The male and female of the reindeer breeze- 

 fly are figured in the ' Library of Entertaining Knowledge, 

 Menageries,' vol. i. p. 405. 



There is one circumstance which, though it appears to 

 us to be of some importance in the question, has been either 

 overlooked or misrepresented in books. " While the female 

 fly," say Kirby and Spence, " is performing the operation 

 of oviposition, the animal attempts to lash her off as it does 

 other flies, with its tail;"J though this is not only at 

 variance with their own words in the page but one preced- 

 ing, where they most accui-ately describe "the herd with 

 their tails in the air, or turned upon their backs, or stiffly 

 stretched out in the direction of the spine," § but with the 

 two facts mentioned above from Eeaumur, as well as with 

 common observation. If the ox then do not attempt to lash 

 off the breeze-fly, but runs with its tail stiffly extended, it 

 affords a strong presumption that the fly terrifies him by 

 her buzzing {asper, acerha sonans), rather than pains him by 

 piercing his hide : her buzz, like the rattle of the rattle- 

 snake, being instinctively understood, and intended, it may 

 be, to prevent an over-population, by rendering it difficult 

 to deposit the eggs. 



The horse breeze-fly (^Gasterophilas equi. Leach), which 

 produces the maggots well known by the name of hotts in 



* Linnaeus, Lacliesis Lapponica, July 19th. 



t Linnffius, Flora Lapponica, p. 378, ed. Lond. 1792. 



X Kirby and Spence, Introd. i. 151. 



§ Ibid. p. 149. 



