280 



ORDER DIPTERA 



parts but burrow into the flesh and may perhaps cause very 

 serious injury. 



The meat fly or blow fly is another species that falls in 

 the same group with regard to its habits, and against which 

 it is important to protect domestic animals. 



Flesh Flies iSarrophagida'). — Flesh flies are (piite familiar 

 objects around houses, especially if there is any exposiu-e of 



Fig. 231. — The green-bottle fly: a, egg masses in cow dung; h, hatched 

 egg; c, a portion of the egg surface seen under the microscope; d, unhatched 

 egg; e, larva. All enlarged except a. (From Ann. Rept., U. S. Dept. Ag., 

 1890.) 



fresh meats to attract them. The eggs are laid on meat by 

 preference and hatching occurs within a very short time, in 

 fact in some species it is stated that larvse are extruded from 

 the adult. Aside from their deposition upon meats, how- 

 ever, there is often a deposition upon fresh wounds or abra- 

 sions so that the larvae may make a serious attack upon 

 domestic animals or even human beings, if there is an opi)or- 

 tunity for the attack. As a protection against this kind of 



