48 FLIES. 



little ; but in all such cases more care than is always 

 thought of, should be taken to make out where the 

 creature is, before going to exj^ense in trying to destroy 

 it, otherwise much cost may be incurred without the 

 slightest use. 



There is one other of this family (the Chironomu» 

 plvmosvs), of which the grub is known as the "Blood- 

 worm," which deserves a word, not because it does any 

 special harm, but because it gives a hint that where 

 it is, affairs are not as they ought to be. This 

 maggot is like a little bright red worm, and may be 

 seen jerking itself about, or collecting in patches like 

 a clot of blood, in water or on very wet mud, where 

 there is a great deal of putrid matter and decaying 

 leafage, on which the maggots feed ; and they show 

 the water is very foul. Therefore where the Blood- 

 worm is seen in the water, or the clouds of Gnat 

 Midges (to which they turn) above it, the water needs 

 looking to. 



In these histories we may seem, perltajjs, to he merely 

 considering crop attacks, one after the other, together 

 with some of the various measures which have been found 

 serviceable for combating them ; but though these are use- 

 ful practically , I wisJt it to be particularly observed that 

 it is not so much the detail of treatment of each case 

 tvhich is tcished to be imparted, as the ptrincipdes on which 

 the treatment is based. There are certain habits ; cer- 

 tain times tvJien the creature is inactive ; certain treat- 

 ment which ivill get rid of it equally in the egg, or the 

 chrysalis state, and so on. Therefore, though I hope the 

 short histories may be serviceable for field use further on, 

 yet now these points are entered on chiefly as showing 

 general methods of treatment that we may apply to all 

 similar kinds of attack. 



Another very large division of this order of Diptera 

 includes ivhat may be known, or at least are commonly 

 looked on, as true Flies, — such as are all more or less 

 like a common House Fly in shape. They may be 

 known from the Gnats and Gnat-Midges by having a 



