132 HORSE AND CATTLE FLIES. 
rains, which have benefited us much after ten weeks’ drought, conse- 
quently these flies are again very plentiful.” Consequently Mr. Gibb 
was able to send me a further supply, with the observation :—‘“ 1 
believe they will be found to differ little from the last, except I have 
succeeded in capturing one specimen of T'abanus bovinus; these flies 
are now plentiful, but are most difficult to catch. 
‘‘ Another kind difficult to capture, although frequently seen, is 
the largest dark-spotted fly with grey markings.” [7. autumnalis.— 
EK. A.O.] ‘H. pluvialis is not very numerous compared with the other 
kinds. I have seen them in Scotland by thousands. Chrysops is now 
very busy and plentiful; by the specimens you will observe that they 
vary in colour.’ —(D. D. G.) 
On the 20th of June Mr. Moens, of Tweed, Lymington, Hampshire, 
obliged me with specimens of Tabanide, of which three proved to be 
respectively the Tabanus autumnalis, the Hematopota pluvialis, and the 
Chrysops cacutiens (see previous pages for descriptions), with the 
following remarks :— 
‘‘T am sending you specimens of four sorts of flies which (as they 
say) ‘terrify’ our animals in the New Forest, besides the regular 
Forest Fly. The larger ones go here by the name of ‘Stoats’;... 
the fly with the speckled wings, and the smaller one, are termed 
blood-suckers; they gorge themselves with blood, which they draw 
readily from horses. These are especially prevalent this summer, and 
are most troublesome in the hot close weather preceding thunder- 
storms.’’—(W. M.) 
On the 24th of June Mr. Moens gave me a few more notes. Of 
the Chrysops cecutiens he mentioned :—‘ This fly causes the blood to 
run down the horse’s neck when it is gorged. I will try to secure 
more specimens, and send them alive; but, though very plentiful, and 
the forest is full of them, one must take horses and nets to get them. 
It is curious how our forest ponies go on the top of the rising ground, 
where there is a breath of wind, ‘ to shade’ themselves out in the full 
sun, for the flies don’t like the wind, and are always most troublesome 
in sheltered places.”’—(W. M.) 
In looking over the past year’s observations, firstly, with regard to 
the number of species of Tabanide forwarded, it is of some interest to 
find so many kinds in such a small area. In the above lists it will be 
seen there were nine distinct species, and others were sent, amounting 
in all to about thirteen kinds, some of which I was not able o 
identify with absolute certainty. There is no doubt that the Hippo- 
bosca, or Forest Fly, is a cause of great danger and annoyance; but it 
is worth observation, though not much mentioned, that these Gad 
Flies also play a very powerful part in trouble caused. 
So far as is known, especially regarding the part of the family 
