186 SELECTED NOTES. 



are many points of interest about it, only a few of which I can here 

 touch upon. It might easily be a subject of wonder how so help- 

 less a creature, whose habitat renders it so peculiarly liable to 

 observation and attack, could survive the assaults of its numerous 

 enemies ; and the answ^er is doubtless to be found in the structure 

 of its skin, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This skin is extremely 

 tough, and yet flexible to allow the freest motion to every segment 

 of the body. It is a veritable coatof-mail. Certain cells of the 

 cuticle are developed into horny studs which beset the surface, and 

 form a complete protective covering, the substratum upon which 

 they are placed being soft and flexible. 



The tail exhibits a coronet of branching hairs, one of which is 

 seen in Fig. 6, and these surround a couple of peculiar oval spi- 

 racles, one of which is shown in Fig. 5. I have not a very good 

 drawing of the Fly itself, but Fig. 4 will give some idea of it. 

 The pupa is developed within the skin of the larva, of which it 

 occupies only the anterior portion. A. Hammond. 



Ditto. — Those who possess Donovan's British Insects will find 

 at p. 65, PL XXXI., a coloured figure of the fly under the name 

 of Musca Cha??ieleon, and at p. 77, PI. XXXV., a figure of the 

 larva. Mr. Hammond's further figure, showing the peculiar struc- 

 ture of the skin, is very welcome and interesting, and well proves 

 that good objects for the microscope, as well beautiful as interest- 

 ing, abound everywhere, and only require looking for. The 

 present creature appears to have had its name changed, at least, 

 four times. This is rather a difficulty in the way of the beginner. 

 Donovan says that in a former edition of his fauna, Linnaeus calls 

 it CEstrns aqucB., Frisch Taba?ius aquaticus; in the last edition of 

 Fauna Suecia, My sea Chameleon; and now it has become Stratio- 

 mys Chamceleon^ let us hope it has now acquired its final name, at 

 least for this century. C. F. George. 



• EXPLANATION OF PLATES X. & XL 



Plate X. 



Fig. 1.— Larva of Stratiomys chamceleon. 

 ,, 2. — Portion of skin of same. 

 ,, 3. — Section of ditto. 



