254 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



at an angle towards the extremity of the wing, so as to close 

 the end of the first posterior cell, while in all the Anthomyidae 

 the fifth longitudinal vein runs more or less parallel to the 

 fourth, in a straight direction to the posterior border of the 

 wing. The most common species of Anthomyia in York- 

 shire, which abounds in the houses, streets, gardens, &c., 

 from early spring to late autumn, is the A. scalaris, which 

 may be distinguished at once by having a large tubercle at 

 the extremity of the inner side of the tibiae of the inter- 

 mediate pair of legs. This fly, which breeds in stercoraceous 

 matters, is smaller and more slender than the true house-fly, 

 and is chiefly found in the neighbourhood of houses and 

 other buildings, its place being supplied by other species of 

 the family in woods and fields. Another common domestic 

 species (if I may so call it) of Anthomyia is Canicularis. I 

 find, in Yorkshire, that this makes its appearance rather 

 later, and disappears sooner, than Scalaris, and is never quite 

 so abundant; but in the more southern counties it appears to 

 be the more common species : it is rather smaller than 

 Scalaris, and has a yellow diaphanous mark on the sides of 

 the two first abdominal segments. Some flies, as the blue- 

 bottle (Calliphora vomitoria) and the pretty green bottle-fly 

 (Lucilia Caesar), are common in all localities; but there are 

 others which appear to be partial in their distribution. A 

 species which abounds on walls of out-houses and stable- 

 yards in Yorkshire, is the Curtoneura stabulans : this fly is 

 intermediate in size between the house-fly and the blue- 

 bottle, and is of a dull gray colour, with a reddish tinge to the 

 scutelluni and legs. Although so very common in the north 

 of England, and, according to Zctterstedt, in Scandinavia, it 

 appears to be of sparing occurrence in the southern parts of 

 England. 



In warm, and especially in showery summer weather, 

 while driving or walking in wooded localities, we must all 

 have been annoyed by the swarms of smallish flies (rather 

 less than house-flies), which are constantly teazing both our 

 horses and ourselves, by buzzing round our heads, and 

 settling on our faces, hats, and coats. These flies, which 

 may be readily distinguished by the yellow tinge at the bases 

 of their wings, belong to the species Hydrotea meteorica (one 

 of the Anthomyidoe) ; and it is a curious fact, which I cannot 



