APPLE LEAVES, APHIS ATTENDANTS HONEY-DEW FLY. 65 



upon the backs of the lice, its feet at this time moving with in- 

 credible rapidity, corresponding exactly with those of a dog when 

 eagerly occupied in digging open the hole of a woodchuck; at 

 the same time the lips at the end of its beak are held down be- 

 tween its fore feet, instantly sucking dry every particle of honey 

 dew wiiich the lice, having their backs thus briskly irritated, in- 

 continently spirt out. Thus in a moment the fly runs about over 

 the backs of the whole flock, milking every one of them " dry," 

 as a dairyman would express it, and filling himself with the de- 

 licious sweet. But rapid as the fly is in doing this work, he 

 finishes it none too soon for his own safety, for any ant that is 

 near by, from a cry or some other signal given by the lice, seems 

 immediately to know that a thief has broken in among the flock, 

 and with his utmost speed hastens to the spot. As soon as the 

 ant approaches, the fly takes to his heels, as if aware he mighty 

 come off minus a leg or a wing, if he allowed the enraged ant 

 to grapple him. And the ant now with his antennse gently 

 strokes the backs of the aphides, as if soothing them after such 

 rude treatment, and assuring them of his future watchfulness and 

 protection. 



This fly pertains to the genus Tephritis, in the Ortalidan group 

 of two-winged flies (Family MrsciDiE, Order Diptera). Though 

 of the same size it is clearly a different species from the Tejihritis 

 i-fasciata of Macquart (Exotic Diptera, ii. 226), and also from 

 his %-maculata^ two species which inhabit our southern States. 

 It may be named the Honey-dew fly, or the Honey-dew Tephri- 

 tis, .(71 melliginis.) 



It measures about 0.23 to the tip of its abdomen, and 0.28 to the end of its 

 wings. It is polished and shining, its head black, the orbits of the eyes mar- 

 gined above with white; the thorax is dark green and the abdomen greenish 

 black; the under side of the abdomen, when distended, is of a dull reddish or 

 yellowish brown color and somewhat hyaline, with a broad black stripe in the 

 middle, which is interrupted at the sutures; the legs are black, the basal joint 

 -of the feet dull yellow; the wings are perfectly colorless and pellucid, and are 

 crossed upon the disk by three black bands, which are narrower than the in- 

 tervening spaces; the middle and inner of these bands are oblique and shorter, 

 not reaching the inner margin of the wing, and the inner one is broadly dilated 

 towards its anterior end, which dilation is extended along the margin of the 

 wing to its base. The outer one of these three discoidal bands is confluent at 

 its anterior end with a fourth band which is situated upon the anterior apical 



jAsseni. No. 215.J 5 



