DEER FOREST FLY. 61 
being wingless; also in the males having the power of dropping their 
wings when they settle on what they consider may be a permanent 
resting-place or ‘“‘host” animal. In the wingless condition this 
L. cervi greatly resembles the wingless ‘‘ Sheep Spider,’’ or ‘‘ Louse 
Fly,” popularly, though wrongly, known as the ‘Sheep Tick,” and 
scientifically as Melophagus ovinus. 
So far as I am aware, this Deer Forest Fly attack has not yet been 
brought forward from British observations, although on the Continent 
it has been much written on from the date of the early observations 
of Nitzsch in 1818, and has been variously named by various entomo- 
logical observers, according to some peculiarity of which each observer 
took especial notice, or the kind of host animal on which he studied it. 
Amongst these synonyms are Pediculus cervi, or ‘‘ Deer Louse Fly,”’ 
of Linneus (1761); Ornithobia pallida and Melophagus cervi of Meigen ; 
Hemobora pallipes of Curtis; and likewise Alcephagus pallidus of Gim- 
merthal (the generic name in this case being given from the prevalence 
of this fly observed by Herr Gimmerthal on Elks, Alces; and in 
localities much frequented by Elks in Courland). 
In addition to distinct synonymic difference in name, is a curious 
variety in spelling of Nitzsch’s original name of the genus, which is 
to be found in Cuvier’s ‘Régne Animal,’ tome v. edited or published 
by Latreille, p. 544, as Lipotepna and Lipotena; and in Macquart’s 
‘Histoire Naturelle des Insectes,’ tome ii. p. 644, as Leptotena. 
To these variations the following observations by Prof. von Sie- 
bold,* in his paper referred to below, suggest an explanation; and 
also some points well worth consideration in the light of correctly 
descriptive nomenclature, which I take leave to add on better authority 
than my own. 
Taking first Prof. von Siebold’s observation, he remarks :—‘‘ The 
name first adopted by Nitzsch (in Germar and Zincken’'s ‘ Entomo- 
logical Magazine,’ Band ui. p. 810) of Lipoptena has had the fate of 
being repeatedly erroneously understood; probably this was at first 
occasioned by a typographical error, and instead of Lipoptena, it 
should really be Lipoptera (Airorrepx), ‘wingless.’” 
In the work above quoted (volume for 1849, p. 294) is also a paper 
by Dr. Schaum on Ornithobia pallida, Meigen, and Lipoptera cervi, 
Nitzsch, with a note appended on the above point—that the writer 
has here re-established the name as without doubt Nitzsch desired to 
give it; and he adds that ‘“‘ von Siebold’s conjecture that Lipoptena 
can only be a typographical error in lieu of Lipoptera is apposite and 
convincing.” At p. 296, amongst various observations made by 
Prof. Loew at Dr. Schaum’s request on similarity of Ornithobia pallida 
* See ‘Ent. Zeit. von Ent. Ver. zu Stettin,’ volume for 1845, pp. 275-279. 
