124 Orthorrhapha brachycera. 



Remarks: Loew ]. c. mentions a form which he wishes to con- 

 sider as a variety under the name australis-, it is distinguished by a 

 tuft of black hairs in the middle at the front margin of the thorax; 

 I have never fomid such a tuft in the males, but on the contrary in 

 all females I have seen, I therefore think it is a character always 

 found in the females and only in these; the females also have as a 

 rule the pile somewhat deeper yellow in eontrast to the more greyish 

 yellow colour of the male. 



B. major is not rare in Denmark in several localities, but it has 

 hitherto only been taken on Sealand and Lolland; Ermelund, Dyre- 

 haven, Bøllemosen, Donse, Hillerød and on Lolland at Lysemose near 

 Maribo and at Bremersvold. It is an early species; my dates are 

 15/4 — ^Ib. It occurs at the outskirts of woods and thickets; I have 

 seen it on flowers of Salix, and it is also recorded to frequent species 

 of Lamium; not rarely it is seen sitting on the ground. 



Geographical distribution: — All Europe and in northern Africa; 

 towards the north to Lapland, but here somewhat rare; it occurs 

 also in North America. 



2. B. minor L. 



176L Linn. Fn. Suec. 1919. - 1842. Zett. Dipt. Scand. I, 189,2 et 

 1849. VIII, 2978, 2.— 1855. Loew, Neue Beitr. 111,12,13. - 1862. Schin. 

 F. A. I, 62. - 1903. Kat. palåarkt. Dipt. II, 196. 



Male. Ground colour blackish or brownish grey, generally with 

 two lighter stripes on the thorax which are visible through the pile. 

 Face with yellow or whitish hairs which are curved^downwards; jowls 

 with white hairs. Occiput with depressed, yellow to silvery hairs and 

 with erect, not long, yellow hairs. Antennæ black, the first joint grey 

 with yellowish hairs. Thorax densely clothed with erect, yellow or 

 more greyish yellow hairs, shining somewhat whitish at the front end; 

 postalar and scutellar marginal bristles visible, yellow. Pleura and 

 sterna with pale yellowish or, farther down, white hairs; metapleura 

 with long, pale hairs. Abdomen densely clothed with long hairs of 

 the same colour as on thorax but more or less whitish towards the 

 apex; at the hind margin of the second segment a transverse row of 

 numerous black bristles, and some few on the following segments; 

 they are sometimes (in small specimens) less numerous and less visible. 

 Venter clothed with long, pale yellow or whitish hairs. Legs yellow, 

 the tarsi darkened towards the ends; femora at the base with mo- 

 derately long, yellowish hairs; hind femora on the ventral side ante- 

 riorly with a row of long, strong bristles; the bristles on the legs 

 black, the scaly hairs yellowish white. Wings slightly greyish, at the 



