80 ; FLIES. 
is the chief place of deposit, other foul and putrefying matters are 
not exempt. 
In the above notes I have endeavoured wholly to confine them to 
observations of this one species, Musca domestica; but the various 
other flies which commonly pass under the name of House Flies much 
resemble them in many particulars of their life-history, and speaking 
generally of these “flies,” it is obvious that even of those that do not 
sting, that where the foot has the “ pads’ covered with hundreds of 
hollow tubes secreting a viscid fluid by which they adhere to the 
smoothest surface, and the organs used in taking food consist of 
minute formations, called teeth, by which the surface of the food is 
‘‘rasped,”’ and thus new surfaces exposed to the action of the moisture 
of the fly’s mouth, that it is not surprising that delicate parts, such as 
the surroundings of the eye, should suffer grievously where, as in hot 
countries, they are buried under the constantly attacking masses of 
the pests.” 
On March 24th of this year Dr. Spooner Hart, of the firm of 
Messrs. Hart Bros., Calcutta, Veterinary Surgeons to the Viceroy and 
Governor-General of India, favoured me with a large supply of the fly, 
of which he observed that it was the worst pest that the Horse had 
there, and much resembled the common English House Fly. So far 
as I could myself find by examination, there was no difference, and 
on submitting some to Mr. O. E. Janson, 44, Great Russell Street, 
London, he wrote me that, as he could not detect any difference 
between the specimens that I had sent him and our common House 
Fly, Musca domestica, he had taken them to the British Museum, and 
Mr. Austen kindly examined them, and said they undoubtedly were of 
that species, which occurs in nearly all parts of the world. 
Dr. Spooner Hart’s first observations were sent me from Calcutta 
on March 24th as follows :— 
‘‘T am despatching by this mail a box containing a phial full of 
Horse Flies. The sample looks to me a common specimen, and like 
the ordinary House Fly at home, only smaller. It is the worst pest 
the Horse has here, and at this time of the year it exists in thou- 
sands, especially in the suburbs. It attacks in great numbers the eyes 
principally, and is constantly flying off and coming back all day long 
to the same site. This, as you can easily understand, causes great 
irritation and inflammation, which, being continued day after day 
and neglected, will lead to blindness, disfiguration of the eyes, and 
ulceration of the face. 
“Our hackney carriages (cabs) here are drawn by wretched half- 
starved ponies that stand about twelve hands to twelve hands two 
* For elaborate descriptions, see Mr. Butler’s ‘ Household Insects,’ previously 
referred to. 
