INSECT FAUNA OF HUMAN KXCREMKNT 



563 



Lucilia cccsar L. 



This is another common and widespread form, abundant both 

 in Europe and in North America, and possibly elsewhere. It 

 is one of the shining green or bluish flies commonly found about 

 dead animals and different kinds of excrement. Dr. Motter 

 found its puparia on corpses in old graves and its larvae feeding 

 on an exposed corpse of a negro. 



In the present investigation this species was taken at ^Wash- 

 ington, May 12, on human fasces exposed for six hours, and 

 from f^ces collected on that day, 

 one adult was reared May 29. 

 It was again captured on the i6th 

 under similar conditions, and 

 again, commonly under the same 

 conditions, on June 6. It was 

 captured, also under similar con- 

 ditions, during the summer of 

 1899, at Twining City, Mary- 

 land, at Leesburg, Virginia, and 

 at Cabin John Bridge, Maryland. 

 In September, 1900, it was reared 

 from animal and vegetable gar- 

 bage at St. Elmo, Virginia. 



This species is not ordinarily found in houses, but may be 

 driven in at the approach of a heavy storm, just as in the case 

 of Stomoxys calcitrans, the biting fly. On May 17, 1899, 

 for example, a heavy storm occurred about four P. M., and the 

 next morning 28 specimens were found to have come into one 

 of the rooms of my office. On June i, at Travilah, Maryland, 

 while Mr. Pratt was watching a fresh deposit, this species was 

 common and flying quickly to and from the deposit. In one 

 instance one settled on his cheek, much to his disgust. 



In Europe, where this species is known as the greenbottle fly, 

 it is apparently almost exclusively a carrion feeder. Porchinsky 

 reared it from the dead bodies of sparrows and considered it a 

 true carnivorous species, but larvse hatching from eggs de- 

 posited on meat and subsequently transferred to cattle dung did 

 not perish, but grew slowly. 



Fig. 18. Lucilia ccesar — enlarged 

 (original). 



