104 DIPTERA OF NORTH AMERICA. [^PART IV. 



slightly longer than the head. The palpi are inserted at its tip ; 

 their two first joints are very short, the third but little longer, the 

 fourth linear, slender, about as long as the first three taken 

 together ; when at rest, its tip, pointing backwards, reaches but 

 very little beyond the root of the first joint (observed on the N. 

 A. species, when alive ; Meigen's Tab. LXV, fig. 8, gives a 

 correct idea of the palpi). Front narrow ; eyes almost contigu- 

 ous on the under side of the head. The antenna?, when bent 

 backwards, hardly reach the root of the wings ; flagellum some- 

 what incrassated at the basis, its joints subcylindrical, short, 

 becoming more elongated towards the tip ; verticils moderately 

 long. Collare somewhat broad, prolonged in a short, but distinct 

 neck. Thoracic suture deep. Feet long, slender, very finely 

 pubescent ; the interval between the two last tarsal joints is ex- 

 cised on the under side in the male. Wings moderately long and 

 broad, but comparatively smaller in the American species ; the 

 tip of the au.xiliary vein is opposite the inner end of the sub- 

 marginal cell ; in some specimens the subcostal cross-vein is 

 obsolete ; in such cases the auxiliary vein ends in the first longi- 

 tudinal and not in the costa ; the second longitudinal vein origi- 

 nates about the middle of the length of the wing ; the prsefurca is 

 less than half of the whole length of the second vein and very 

 gently arcuated, nearly straight ; the third longitudinal vein is 

 arcuated, which causes the submarginal cell to be much broader 

 at the tip than at its inner end ; the latter is, in some specimens, 

 in contact with the discal cell, the small cross-vein being obliter- 

 ated ; this happens with the European, as well as with the North 

 American species ; the majority of the specimens, however, have 

 a short, but distinct cross-vein ; the discal cell is nearly square ; 

 the fifth, sixth, and seventh longitudinal veins are nearly straight ; 

 the stigma is oval, distinctly marked, but there is no trace of a 

 marginal cross-vein. 



The close relationship between Rhampliidia and Elephan- 

 tomijia is evident ; the shorter and stouter rostrum and the longer 

 palpi of the former are the only important differences. The 

 venation, including the absence of the marginal cross-vein, is 

 almost the same ; the forceps has the same structure ; even the 

 coloring of the North American species is remarkably like that 

 of E. wedwoodi. 



In the preceding description I have compared the European 



I 



