252 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



commencement of the task more difficult ; but when we admit 

 that novelty adds the sweetest charm to all pursuits, we must 

 allow that the study of Dijjlera is not likely to lose its 

 interest for want of new objects to be examined. 



To the naturalist, condemned, like myself, to pass the 

 greater portion of his life in a large town, Diptera are 

 interesting, because many species may be met with in our 

 houses and on our windows, in our stable-yards and little 

 gardens, and in many suburban localities, where no Lepi- 

 doptera or Hymenoptera, and very few Coleoptera, could be 

 found. It is really surprising to note the number of distinct 

 species of flies which may be seen at different times on the 

 panes of a window, even in a large, smoky town. I will 

 enumerate a few, to some of which I may again have to 

 allude in my further remarks. 



At all seasons, except when the weather is frosty, the little 

 flies belonging to the genus Phora, may be seen on our 

 windows, and at once distinguished from most others by the 

 vivacity of their movements, as they are continually coursing 

 over the panes of glass. Numerous species of gnat-like flies 

 (Tipulariae) may also be seen both late and early in the 

 season, some of which, as the species of the genus Sciara, 

 somewhat resemble the Phora) in appearance, though not in 

 their movements, as they are very sluggish. I have seldom 

 seen the true gnats (Culicidse) in the town. Besides the 

 common domestic fly and the blue-bottle, several species of 

 Anthomyia may be included in the list of house-flies, and are 

 constantly found on the windows, especially A. scalaris and 

 A. canicularis. A very pretty little spotted fly, also belonging 

 to the family of the Anthomyidae, is not uncommonly seen on 

 the windows in warm weather, viz, the Spilogaster uliginosa. 

 It is a curious fact, that while I captured three specimens 

 during the past summer on my dressing-room window, I did 

 not meet with one out of the house, or in any other locality. 

 Individuals of the common dung-fly (Scatophaga stercoraria), 

 are of frequent occurrence on the windows, especially in the 

 early spring and autumn months, when the weather is chilly : 

 they may be at once known by their covering of downy hairs, 

 which are of a bright yellow colour in the males. Among the 

 smaller and less-highly developed Muscidae, besides the 

 Phorae, with which 1 commenced my list, I may enumerate 



