330 HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



these tiny pests that their "bite" is out of all proportion 

 to their size. As Lugger says, " it is difficult to understand 

 how this small being can harbor the vast amount of 

 'cussedness' it is known to possess." When the writer 

 first met with these flies in the Adirondack^ it took him 

 some time to find out what new disease had gotton hold 

 of him. Finally, close observation of a burning spot on 

 the hand disclosed one of these minute insects at work, 

 and a pocket lens solved the mystery at once. Later we 

 had opportunity to stow away several choice specimens in 

 a vial of alcohol, which unfortunately got broken in transit 

 so that we are awaiting another season to determine just 

 what species is a frequenter of our camp. 



Description and distribution of punkies. — A punkie is a 

 minute fly belonging to the same great order of insects as 

 the mosquito and the common house-fly. There are nearly 

 one hundred species of these flies now represented in the 

 U. S. National Museum but fortunately not all of them 

 "bite." At least six species, however, are known to annoy 

 man. 



The legs of punkies are long in proportion to the size 

 of the body and the mouth parts are formed for piercing 

 and sucking. The wings of many forms are more or less 

 clothed with hairs which often vary in color, thus impart- 

 ing a spotted effect to these organs. 



Punkies are apparently distributed all over the United 

 States, for they have been collected from Maine to Florida 

 and California. They are usually more abundant in the 

 vicinity of streams or lakes or in the damp forests. 



Habits of punkies. — Punkies will apparently attack 

 any part of the body that is exposed, although in the case 

 of the author, his hands have suffered most. Other 



