1. H^MATOPOTA 331 



6 (1) Basal joint of anteniipe elongate, not in the least ovate (fig. 225), 

 and wholly dulled even to the extreme tip. 

 Femora often more or less luteous. 



3 itcdica. 



I am convinced that there are several undistinguished European species, as I 

 possess two females from Greece which are undoubtedly distinct from any of our 

 species, and I think I also possess three other species from Spain and Portugal. 



Our British species are rather difficult to distinguish until well known. _ Itinay 

 be almost taken for granted that the first species to be found will be the ubiquitous 

 H.2)luvialis, though in Scotland I think //. crassicornis will be found to be the pre- 

 dominant species, and along the coasts of Essex and Suffolk H. italica may 

 supersede both of them. I have taken //. pluvialis and H .crassicornis in company, 

 and also //. pluvialis and //. italica, but not //. crassicornis and H. italica, while 

 Colonel Yerbury is of opinion that at Walton-on-Naze in Essex only H. italica and 

 //. Bigoti occur. 



1. H. pluvialis Linne. Third antennal joint partly reddish; basal 

 joint incrassate elongate ovate, shining at the tip. Pubescence behind the 

 vertex wholly black in the male. Wings muddily or yellowish marmorate. 



A common biting fly, known in Scotland as " The Kleg " ; 

 easily recognised by the mottled wings, which character how- 

 ever it shares with the other species of the genus. 



$ . Head much broader than the broadest part of the thorax, but not so short as 

 in //. italica. Face in profile rounded anteriorly though sloping up rather 

 straight from the antennae to the vertex, moderately and equally produced 

 from'the eyes, whitish grey l)ut with the broad side-cheeks thickly speckled 

 all over with small black spots which crowd together so much on the upper 

 part that they coalesce and form a black patch near the antennae ; the middle 

 part of the face with no black spots ; frontal space quite bare, yellowish grey 

 but with all the middle part deep black leaving the elongate triangle which 

 extends up between the eyes covered with the yellowish grey dust, the 

 triangle formed by this grey dust being twice as high as broad ; jowls fairly 

 broad, whitish grey and without any black spots except the tiny dots caused 

 by the roots of the hairs ; immediately after the jowlsthe lower quarter of 

 the back of the head is only slightly inflated and is whitish grey, while a very 

 narrow postocular rim runs up the rest of the back of the head, which 

 however bulges out at the top into the ashy grey slightly inflated sides of the 

 vertical space, these sides being separated by a channel and so much so 

 posteriorly that there is a conspicuous fissure at the middle of the occiput. 

 Pubescence on the side-cheeks conspicuous, rather long but only moderately 

 dense, erect and black ; on the middle part of the face and above the mouth 

 the pubescence is less conspicuous and is all whitish yellow, while on the 

 jowls and all the rest of the neighborhood of the mouth it is longer, denser, 

 shaggier, and pale yellow, but it does not extend at all up the back of the 

 head, though a shorter yellowish grey pubescence does extendi little up the 

 lower quarter behind an inconspicuous black postocular ciliation ; above the 

 lower third of the back of the head this postocular ciliation grows longer and 

 more conspicuous until on nearly the upper half of the head it becomes very 

 conspicuously long, hlach, and rather dense right up to and inchcding the vertical 

 space, though the front part of the vertex may very rarely have a few pale 

 hairs ; the absolute back of the head is ashy grey, almost bare, and consider- 

 ably hollowed out. Palpi porrect, second joint yellow or yellowish, covered 

 with a whitish grey dust, elongate equally ovate, and bearing abundant but 

 not at all dense long pubescence (except on the bare inner side), and this 

 pubescence is mainly yellowish white but to a greater or less extent mostly 

 black about the tip ; basal joint darker grey, and also bearing similar pale 

 pubescence. Eyes rather shallow in profile, being almost or quite as long 



