— 208 — 



tlie believers in the Bugonìa^ Melanchthoii (1497-1560), the 

 Reformer, and the friend of Luther. He compares the miracle 

 of the Bugoma to the Christian Church, but iUnstrates the 

 comparison in siich a manner that I do not deem it fìt to be 

 reproduced here. (Compare J. H. Voss, Virgilii Georgicon, 

 libri IV, translated and commented upon, 1789, p. 277). It is 

 probable that Melanchthon, in this instance, was iniluenced by 

 Ephraim the Syriac (Carmina Nisibena, 39, 210, qnoted by 

 Professor Merx, 1. e), who makes a somewhat similar com- 

 parison. 



§. 4. — Life-historg and geographical cUstribution of Eristalis 

 tenax. 



It is now time for me to say something a boat Eristalis 

 tenax Linné, that bee-like fly, the resemblance of which to a 

 honey-bee has confused the brains of the scientifìc and un- 

 scientific world for so many centuries. I shall give a short 

 account of its outward appearance, its metamorphosis from the 

 larva, and of some remarkable circumstances connected with 

 its geographical distribution. It belongs to the large family 

 SyrpMclae which contains a considerable number of handsomely 

 coloured flies, very fond of flowers ; « they fly with amazing 

 rapidity, and many delight to hover immovably over certain 

 spots, to which they will return, if disturbed for a considerable 

 number of times. » (Westw. Introd. II, p. 657). Their colouring 

 consists in many cases of yellow crossbands and spots on the 

 abdomen, and also of similar marks on the thorax; or else 

 they are clothed with a hairy covering of different colours. 



E. tenax is of a duUer colouring than most of the species 

 of the family and, in that respect, it has remarkable resem- 

 blance to a honey-bee. « This resemblance is so great (says 



