THE BEE-FLIES. G03 



a whitish line along the top of the hind body. Besides 

 these flies, we have several moi'e kinds 

 of Tahanus, some of which do not apjoear ^'°' "*'^' 



to have been described. These blood- 

 thirsty insects begin to appear towards 

 the end of June, and continue throuo-h 

 the summer, sorely tormenting both ^ 



horses and cattle with their shai'p bites. Their proboscis, 

 though not usually very long, is armed with six stiif and ex- 

 ceedingly sharp needles, wherewith they easily pierce through 

 the toughest hide. It is stated that they will not touch a 

 horse whose back has been well washed with a strong de- 

 coction of walnut-leaves. The eyes of these flies are very 

 beautiful, and vary in their colors and markings in the dif- 

 ferent species. 



The golden-eyed forest-flies are also distinguished for the 

 brilliancy of their spotted eyes, and for their clouded or 

 banded wings. They are much smaller than the horse- 

 flies, but resemble them in their habits. Some of them 

 are entii-ely black {CJtri/sops ferrugatus, Fabricius-), others 

 are striped with black and yellow ( Chri/sops viUatus, "Wiede- 

 mann). They frequent woods and thickets, in July and 

 August. 



The bee-flies, or Bombylians (Bombyliadje), have a very 

 slender proboscis, sometimes exceeding the length of their 

 body. They are met with in sunny paths in the woods, 

 in April and May. They fly with gi-eat swiftness, stop 

 suddenly every little while, and, balancing themselves with 

 their long, horizontal spread wings, seem to hang suspended 

 in the air. They often hover, in this way, over the early 

 flowers, sucking out the honey thereof, like humming-birds, 

 with their long bills. Our largest bee-fly is the Bomhjlius 



[ ' Chrysops ferrugatus, Fab., is a Tabanus, and not a Clirysops. Besides, it has 

 much rnQYe ferruginous and cinereous than hlailc in its coloring (compare its de- 

 scription in Wied. Auss. Zw., Vol. I. p. 186). Dr. Harris means probably the 

 Chrysops niger, Meig, which, next to C. vittatus, Wied., is the common Chrysops 

 of this country. — Osten S.vcken.] 



