22G [October, 



says nothing about the colour of the hair, and the only description of the body of 

 the insect that he gives is to the effect that it is— " Black, but little shining, only 

 the posterior margins of the abdominal segments whitish." Fabricius' original 

 description (Entomologica Systematica, iv, p. 374) likewise omits all reference to the 

 hair, and characterizes the body much in the same terms as those employed by 

 Schiner — "Corpus totum atrum, minime nitidum, immaculatum." Fallen did not 

 know the male of Chr. sepulcralis, but with reference to the female he writes {Diptera 

 Suecise, " Tahanii," p. 11, 4) — " Thorax niger, pilosus : pilis lateralibus sublutcis." 

 Meigen (" Systematische Beschreibung," ii, p. 74) says — " Body clothed with fine, 

 silky, somewhat yellowish hairs, which are more distinct at the margins of the ab- 

 dominal segments. PleursE clothed with reddish-yellow hairs." And lastly, 

 iJetterstedt (" 2)j^^era Scandinaviae," i, p. 127) writes — " Totus ater, vix maculatus 

 nisi pleuris fulvo-pilosis, segmentorumque margine fulvo-ciliatis." 



Thus there seems to be a general consensus of opinion among writers whom 

 we may call the immediate successors of Fabricius that in Chr. sepulcralis the 

 pleurae at any rate are clothed with yellow or reddish-yellow hair. I have spent 

 some time in endeavouring to discover the opinion of more modern authors upon 

 this point, but without much success. Pandelle (" Synopsis des Tabanides do 

 France," Revue d'Entomologie, T. ii, 1883, pp. 165-228), who, by the way, considers 

 (loc. cit., pp. 224, 225) Chr. quadratus, Mg., relictus, Mg., and sepulcralis, F., to be 

 mere colour varieties of Chr. ccecwtiens, L. (!), writes (p. 225) with reference to Chr. 

 sepulcralis — " Sa pubescence est brune ou d'un gris livide." Dr. Gobert, in his 

 " Revision des Especes Frangaises de la Famille des Ihbanida" (Memoires de la 

 Societe Linn^enne du Nord de la France, T. 5, 1883, pp. 55-105), does not mention 

 Chr. sepulcralis at all. 



In the specimens from Studland Heath the thorax (pleurce as well as dorsum) 

 is entirely clothed with black hair, and the only trace of yellow hairs is to be found 

 on the abdomen, where, in the case of one of the specimens, the posterior margins 

 of the third, fourth and fifth segments show evidences of a scanty clothing of short 

 golden-yellow hairs, though on the third and fourth segments these are confined to 

 the median line ; on the ventral surface of this specimen the second segment alone 

 shows scattered yellow hairs ; in the other individual the second abdominal segment 

 is the only one which shows any yellow hairs — a few on the ventral surface and 

 above on the posterior margin in the median line. In having the pleuree clothed with 

 black hair our specimens agree with the description of Chr. melanopleurus, Wahlb. 

 (see Zetterstedt, " Diptera Scandinavise," viii, p. 2943), wnatever this may be, which 

 Loew declares (loc. cit., p. 627) he is unable to recognise in any species known to 

 him. On the other hand, Wahlbcrg describes the first and second segments of the 

 abdomen of the male of his species as being testaceous-yellow at the sides, while his 

 description of the abdomen of the female is suggestive of the female of Chr. relictus. 



On the whole, since our specimens agree so perfectly with the description of 

 Chr. sepulcralis as regards face and wings, and taking into consideration Loew's 

 remark on the variability of the hair in males of Chr. quadratus in the note quoted 

 above, it seems to me that we shall be quite justified in regarding them merely as a 

 melanic variety of Chr. sepulcralis. Tliry may be a local race ; among British 

 Diptera a difference from Continental specimens in the colour of the hair is by no 



