1907 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 109 



parent wings, a thin body, and long legs banded with white. When it flies 

 you do not see its wings — it seems to float like a film. It is an insect fairy. 



One female Crane-fly will lay about 300 eggs. These are small, black 

 and glossy. They are laid in, or close to, the ground. The grubs that come 

 from them are familiarly known as Leather-jackets. They feed on the roots 

 of grasses, corn, etc., and sometimes do much damage. Unlike other mag- 

 gots the larva of the Crane-fly has a well-marked head, black and horny, 

 with a pair of strong black jaws; and a pair of small horns. At the blunt 

 extremity of the creature are four tubercles. The grubs turn to pupse in 

 the ground ; and the flies appear towards the end of summer. 



Fall ploughing, rotation of crops, lime-dressing for the land, drainage, 

 all help to keep the numbers of the Leather-jackets down. 



The perfect flies are quite harmless. They are remarkable for the 

 seeming ease with which they part with their limbs. I find it rather a 

 difficult matter to obtain perfect cabinet specimens of them. 



In the Coenomyiidse comes the C oenomyia pallida of Say. This fly is 

 figured by Gosse in the Canadian Naturalist p. 199. It is believed to be the 

 same as the C. ferruginea of Europe. I have four fine specimens in iny 

 collection. They were taken in the Eastern Townships, at different times. 

 The fly is fawn-colored throughout, with large blue-black eyes. 



The family Stratiomyidse numbers some fine insects. One of them is 

 quite common at Quebec, viz., Stratiomyia obesa, Lorw. It has a yellow face 

 jet black eyes, a black body marked with yellow stripes ; its legs are yel- 

 low, and its wings are light fawn-colored, dfsrker on the fore part of the 

 wing. It is a handsome fly. 



A family of objectionable insects is the Tabanida3. Amongst them 

 comes that annoying fly, Chrysops fugax, Walker, which does its worst to 

 spoil the entomologist's pleasure in the woods and fields, especially when 

 there are cattle near. This fly is black, and has a brown patch in the cen- 

 tre of the wing. There is no mistaking it — its incessant audacious attacks 

 make it known. 



Happily we have not in Quebec the formidable Tahamis atratus, Fab. 

 (Fig. 40). But the fine fly Tahanus rufus, Palisot Beauvois, often made 

 its appearance round my stable when I kept a horse and cows. It is three- 

 quarters of an inch in length of body, and an inch and a half in expanse 

 of wings. Its prevailing color is brick-red. 



To the Asilidae belong the Robber Flies (Fig. 41), which are so named 

 from their habit of pouncing down upon the backs of other insects and de- 

 stroying them. 



I have seen the King Bird alight, with the utmost daring and dexterity, 

 upon the shoulders of the Hen Hawk, and peck at its head to drive it away 

 from the neighborhood in which the little King Birds were gathered. And 

 the Robber Flies do not hesitate to pounce down upon such formidable in- 

 sects as wasps and bees — not merely to put them to flight, but to drain away 

 their life-juices. Our commonest kind is Asilus Novce-Scotio', Macquart. 



The Bombylidse are an interesting family. From their habit of hover- 

 ing over blossoms, they are called Bee Flies. Anthrax fulviana. Say, is 

 quite common at Quebec. Its brown body is covered with a yellow down, 

 and its wings have an irregular brown border along the costa. A 

 less bulky and prettier fly is Anthrax sinuosa, Wiedemann. This is dark 

 brown in color, and its wings are of a rich warm brown, but have a clear 

 space along the hind margin. In the genus Bomhylius we have fratellus, 

 Weid., major, Linne, and pygmnceus, Fabricius. The last named is a veri- 

 table fairy. Its small brown body is edged with yellow; its wings are richly 



