﻿Order 
  DIPTERA. 
  

  

  This 
  order 
  contains 
  tlie 
  flies, 
  always 
  recognizable 
  by 
  having 
  two 
  wings 
  

   only, 
  the 
  secondaries 
  being 
  reduced 
  to 
  little 
  knobs 
  or 
  halteres. 
  The 
  

   head 
  is 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  thorax 
  by 
  a 
  distinct, 
  very 
  narrow 
  neck, 
  and 
  

   the 
  antennas 
  are 
  either 
  quite 
  long 
  or 
  very 
  short, 
  often 
  aristate. 
  The 
  

   mouth 
  parts 
  are 
  formed 
  for 
  scraping 
  or 
  sucking, 
  or 
  both, 
  and 
  never 
  for 
  

   chewing, 
  in 
  the 
  adult 
  stage. 
  The 
  larvae 
  vary 
  greatly, 
  but 
  are 
  usually 
  

   either 
  very 
  slender 
  and 
  elongate, 
  or 
  maggot-like 
  in 
  form. 
  The 
  metamor- 
  

   phosis 
  is 
  complete, 
  and 
  the 
  change 
  from 
  larva 
  to 
  adult 
  is 
  more 
  radical 
  

   than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  order. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  list 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  "Dip- 
  

   tera" 
  has 
  increased 
  vastly, 
  and 
  collectors 
  are 
  more 
  numerous 
  than 
  ever 
  

   before. 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  W. 
  Johnson, 
  now 
  Curator 
  of 
  the 
  Boston 
  Society 
  of 
  

   Natural 
  History, 
  has 
  again 
  prepared 
  the 
  list 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  and 
  has 
  added 
  

   perhaps 
  the 
  greatest 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  to 
  it. 
  But 
  in 
  the 
  "Cecidomyiidae" 
  

   Mr. 
  William 
  Beutenmuller 
  has 
  done 
  this 
  work, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  list 
  in 
  that 
  

   family 
  is 
  still 
  far 
  from 
  complete, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  much 
  better 
  picture 
  of 
  our 
  fauna 
  

   than 
  was 
  the 
  previous 
  one. 
  In 
  the 
  "Culicidae" 
  the 
  list 
  is 
  probably 
  almost 
  

   complete. 
  In 
  no 
  other 
  family 
  have 
  collections 
  been 
  so 
  thorough 
  and 
  

   systematic, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  few 
  species 
  will 
  be 
  added 
  in 
  future. 
  

   Mr. 
  John 
  A. 
  Grossbeck, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  assistants 
  in 
  the 
  mosquito 
  investiga- 
  

   tion, 
  has 
  written 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  list. 
  In 
  the 
  "Tabanidae" 
  Mr. 
  V. 
  A. 
  E. 
  

   Daecke 
  has 
  supplied 
  the 
  mss., 
  and 
  here 
  again 
  his 
  persistent 
  and 
  careful 
  

   work, 
  supplemented 
  by 
  that 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Henry 
  S. 
  Harbeck, 
  has 
  left 
  little 
  to 
  

   be 
  done. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  these 
  gentlemen, 
  Messrs. 
  G. 
  M. 
  Greene 
  and 
  

   Chas. 
  T. 
  Greene, 
  of 
  Philadelphia, 
  have 
  added 
  many 
  records, 
  and 
  nearly 
  

   all 
  the 
  contributors 
  to 
  the 
  previous 
  edition 
  have 
  helped 
  along 
  the 
  work 
  

   on 
  this. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Johnson 
  estimated 
  that 
  the 
  1,200 
  species 
  listed 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  edition 
  

   were 
  about 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  actual 
  number 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  State. 
  

   As 
  before, 
  all 
  records 
  not 
  otherwise 
  specifically 
  credited 
  belong 
  to 
  Mr. 
  

   Johnson. 
  

  

  Family 
  TIPUUD^. 
  

  

  These 
  are 
  the 
  "Crane-flies," 
  which 
  resemble 
  exaggerated 
  mosquitoes 
  

   in 
  appearance, 
  and 
  derive 
  the 
  common 
  name 
  from 
  their 
  long, 
  ungainly, 
  

   slender 
  legs. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  often 
  prolonged 
  into 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  blunt 
  snout, 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  prominent 
  palpi, 
  which 
  are 
  sometimes 
  as 
  

   long 
  as 
  the 
  antennae. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  are 
  most 
  common 
  in 
  low 
  meadows 
  or 
  at 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  

   woodland, 
  and 
  their 
  flight 
  is 
  as 
  uncertain 
  and 
  awkward 
  as 
  their 
  appear- 
  

   ance. 
  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  preserve 
  these 
  insects, 
  because 
  the 
  legs 
  break 
  off 
  

   at 
  the 
  least 
  provocation. 
  e\en 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  alive. 
  

  

  (703) 
  

  

  