Reports to various Correspondents. 15 



sucking up the nectar from flowers. It is common to Europe 

 and North America. Besides entering houses it also invades 

 stables, cow-sheds, pig-styes, and fowl-houses, feeding off the blood 

 of fowls as well as mammals. It prefers to attack horses on the 

 legs. The bite is followed by the formation of a large papule, 

 upon which the hairs stand erect. They may be found from late 

 spring to late autumn, and especially worry horses near woods. In 

 houses they are frequently taken for house flies, but a casual 

 examination of the head reveals a distinct piercing proboscis project- 

 ing from below the head. When resting the Stomoxys carries its 

 proboscis forwards, the Musca downwards. 



The fly reaches between 10 and 12 mm. across the expanded 

 wings, and is about 8 mm. long ; it is deep brown with grey reflections, 

 the face white between the large brown eyes ; palpi and antennte 

 brown ; thorax with two median dark stripes, two linear dark spots in 

 front and two longer ones behind in a line with them, the paler areas 

 of the thorax with cinereous reflections ; the abdomen has a basal dark 

 band to each segment, which spreads out in the middle, nearly across 

 the segments, and so forms a broken dark dorsal line ; each segment 

 except the last has two deep brown apical spots ; legs deep brown, 

 almost black, except the base of the tibise, which are bright testaceous. 

 The male is darker than the female, and the spots on the abdomen 

 larger, and the dorsal stripe less interrupted. The projecting pro- 

 boscis is deep brown. 



The eggs are laid in horse-dung and manure of all kinds, the 

 former by choice, where the white maggots change when mature into 

 rather pyriform brown puparia. They appear to pass the winter in 

 the latter stage. They may soon be cleared out of a room by opening 

 the windows at the top as soon as the weather brightens. 



Haematopota causing annoyance in Kent. 



Mr. Jeffreys, of Ashford, Kent, wrote asking for informotiou con- 

 cerning the fly he sent, which, lie stated, bites severely. This biting 

 fly proved to be one of the Tahanidw, and belongs to the genus 

 Biematopota, the species being crassicornis, Whlbg. The most common 

 one found about Kent is H.phmalis, L. The two species are very 

 similar. A third species occurs in Great Britain, H. italica, Meig. 

 I have not seen it in Kent. Walker gives it as a synonym of 

 pluvialis, but it is not so. These Hseviatopota are locally known as 

 " Brimps " in Kent, and as Eain Breeze Flies and Horse Breeze Flies 

 in other parts. They are particidarly abundant ahmg reads and paths 



