HABITS OF FOREST FLY. 103 
on him, he shows symptoms which at once tell us, who have experience 
in the matter, what ails him. He has a frightened look, lays his ears 
back, and makes short stamps and kicks with his feet; and if the fly 
is not taken from him, he will sometimes sweat profusely, kick 
violently, and even roll. 
‘‘T do not think the fly ever goes into a stable of its own accord; 
and if the horse is freed from them before going into the stable, he is 
safe from attack until he is taken out again. ‘The custom here is to 
search the horse well all over, particularly in the fly’s favourite haunts, 
before he is taken into the stable, after being in the ‘fly’ district, 
which is the New Forest, for we never find them away from the Forest, 
unless they are taken by horses. 
*“As you may imagine, there is some danger to one unaccustomed 
to the habits of the fly, and also of the horse, in attempting to dislodge 
the fly. It will, when disturbed, make short flights from one part of 
the body to another, and then run, generally sideways. Strangers 
will sometimes endeavour to knock it off, like an ordinary fly, which is 
useless, and increases the irritation of the horse. 
«« The only method is to clap the hand or fingers flatly over the fly, 
and then remove it; and it is killed by pressing the thumb-nail into 
the thorax lengthways. 
‘ T really know of no specific for preventing attack, though wiping 
the horse over with a paraffin rag renders him less inviting to the fly ; 
but when we know that it may settle on any part of the body, it will 
readily be seen how inconvenient it would be to do this often or daily, 
and (as I have already said) we here simply cateh and kill the fly, and 
take no further notice of it. 
“Tt has been erroneously stated that the fly has a strong flight; 
this is not so. It only uses the wings to reach its host, or to take a 
short flight from one animal to another, or from one part to another of 
the animal on which it first alights. 
‘‘When at rest on the body of the horse, one wing overlaps the 
other. . . . Ihave heard it said that the wings are deflexed, which 
is incorrect.” —(l'. B. G.) 
Writing to me on May 10th on the above subject, Mr. Goodall 
observed: ‘The Forest Flies are out again now, and are as plentiful 
as the Blue-bottle ” ; and on the 29th of May, in reply to a request of 
mine for some specimens, he noted: ‘They are not so much in 
evidence since the advent of this cold weather.” Shortly after he 
favoured me with a good supply. 
The following notes are from observations with which I was 
favoured by Mr. D. D. Gibb, of Ossemsley Manor Farm, Lymington, 
Hants, with specimens of the Forest Flies sent accompanying from 
time to time, which enabled me to study their structure, and to some 
