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apparently of this species. This fly is always followed by a Calliphorine 

 Muscid, probably another species of Chrysomyia, which is similarly 

 attracted to putrefying meat, and the larvae of which are predaceous 

 on other Dipterous larvae, especially those of Sarcophaga. Another 

 peculiarity of this last species is the habit of producing progeny of 

 one sex only by a given female, though parthenogenesis does not occur, 

 Sarcophaga ruficollis is common in decaying matter of animal origin. 

 The adult gives birth to living larvae instead of eggs, and these pupate 

 after a larval period of 10 days, the pupal stage lasting for 20 days. 

 Maggots extracted from a tumour of a patient in Pusa hospital proved 

 to belong to a species of this genus. A species of Lucilia, the life- 

 history of which occupies 25 days, is attracted to exposed meat and 

 dead animals at almost all seasons except during the severe cold of 

 winter. Adults have been kept alive for 6 or 7 weeks. The Sepsid fly, 

 Piophila casei, breeds in the fatty tissues of meat. The larvae are 

 parasitised by a small Hymenopteron, which, however, is not confined 

 to this species, but attacks any fresh fly pupae, especially those of 

 Phorids. The Phorid, Aphiochaefa ferruginea, is attracted to fresh 

 meat and also to decomposed meat, in which it oviposits. The larva 

 matures within 10 days, the pupal period lasting about 4 weeks. In v 

 Ecitomyia sp., another Phorid which frequents decomposing meat and \ 



animal matter, the pupal period is 15 days. Four species of 

 HiSTERiDAE, which have not as yet been found breeding in meat or 

 dead animal matter, prey upon large flesh-fly larvae. Musca nebulo, 

 M. angustiffons, M. nigrithorax, Ulidia aenea and a small Borborid, 

 have been found feeding, but not breeding on exposed meat. The 

 larvae and pupae of various Calliphorinae are parasitised by Chalcids, 

 which in their turn are attacked by a small hyperparasite. 



Small Tabanids oviposit on the leaves of aquatic plants such as 

 Polygonum glabrum and Phragmites hurka growing in shallow water, 

 the time of egg-laying being between noon and 2 p.m. in the case of 

 Chrysops stimulans, between 9 and 10 a.m. in that of Tabanus bicallosus, 

 while Haematopota spp. oviposit mostly during morning and evening 

 hours, but never during the heat of the day. The eggs of all these are 

 free from egg-parasites. Tabanus albimedius, T. striatus and T. hilaris 

 oviposit on any aquatic plants grown in deep or shallow water or in 

 mud, or on leaves of large trees overhanging water. The egg-masses 

 of T. speciosus are covered with some chalky substance and those of 

 other large species of Tabanus are glued together, all these egg-masses 

 being subject to attack by Chalcidid parasites. T. nemocallosus 

 invariably oviposits on the upper portion of Phragmites kurka and 

 Lantana aculeata, plants drooping over deep water. The gregarious 

 larvae of this species show considerable resistance to death from 

 drowning, while the eggs can stand submergence for 72 hours. Freshly 

 emerged flies would not suck blood for some time, under laboratory 

 conditions, being capable of resisting starvation for 5 days in humid 

 surroundings. They show a marked tendency to drink water in 

 captivity, and if the habit of sucking sugary food is acquired, the 

 blood-sucking habit is resumed with reluctance. This fly has probably 

 one brood in a year, the larval period being 9 or 10 months, the 

 Tabanidae generally hibernating in the larval stage. The eggs are 

 parasitised by a small Chalcidid, which was also bred out from the 

 eggs of an Acalyptrate fly. 



