INSECT FAUNA OF HUMAN EXCREMENT 



581 



course of this work. The genus is one of wide distribution and 

 has several representatives in Europe. They breed in decaying 

 vegetables and dung, and are said to differ in their larval forms 

 strikingly from the other members of the family Anthomyiidae. 

 The observations of Dr. Motter would seem to indicate that 

 one of our American species feeds on human cadavers. The 

 present species is not so common in houses as its congener, 

 Honialomyia canzcularis, which will be mentioned later, but 



FiG. 29. Hotnaloinyia brevis : female at left ; male next, with enlarged 

 antennae ; larva at right — enlarged (original). 



this form was reared from human excrement and seems to be 

 an abundant breeder in that substance. It was repeatedly bred 

 in the experiments which have heretofore been mentioned, at 

 Washington, namely : On May 30 it was reared from fresh 

 faeces exposed May 12 ; on May 12 it was reared from an old 

 deposit found on the grounds ; on May 27 it issued from simi- 

 lar deposits, on June 2 from others; on June 22, after sixteen 

 days it was reared in numbers from a deposit found fresh in 

 south Washington ; on June 8 it was reared from a deposit 

 after 11 days. It was also reared in the northeast Washington 

 experiments, and also bred from material gathered at Snickers 

 Gap, Virginia, and at the militia camp at Leesburg, Virginia. 



Homalotnyia canicular is Linn. 

 This species, common to Europe and North America, is often 

 found in houses, especially in the fall, and is the very small fly 



