oe 
360 Baron R. Osten-Sacken on the 
The new observation above referred to was made by 
Mr. Humbert during his travels in Ceylon in 1859, and 
he kindly permitted me to make use of the note and 
sketches which he took down on the spot about it, and of 
which I give the translation. 
** Nycteribia. Taken on a young Pteropus Leschenaultit ; 
Trincomali, May 80, 1859. ‘Two of these insects, placed 
in a glass tube, laid puparia, which, at first, had the 
appearance of a transparent jelly ; a few minutes later 
they began to assume a blackish hue (that of pale ink), 
especially along the borders; gradually the colour 
became darker, and on the following day these bodies 
were perfectly black, at least on the upper side (fig. a, 0). 
The under side, fastened to the glass, remained more 
transparent. The shape of these puparia was nearly 
oval, the upper side convex (fig. e). This upper side 
shows, about its middle, two stigmata (fig. d) ; at one of 
the extremities of the body I thought I perceived another 
stigmatic opening ; however, [am not able to affirm it 
positively, because the vision through the curvature of 
the glass was not quite distinct. The upper side was 
finely marked with undulating striew (like the skin of 
certain Arachnide). On the under side (fig. f), through 
the transparent skin, rudiments of limbs were visible, 
subject all the time to a movement of contraction, 
resembling a vermicular motion. A light-coloured line 
in the middle was marked on both sides with some elon- 
gated dark spots.” 
In the foregoing, the object laid by the mother-fly was 
called by me pupa or puparium, according to the accepted 
usage, although, as Prof. Leuckhart (‘ Die Fortpflanzung 
und Entwickelung der Pupiparen,’ Halle, 1858), has 
shown, it is in reality the mature larva, which only later 
becomes a pupa. 
Mr. Humbert’s data (sketches and description) about 
the larva of Nycteribia show the following differences 
from the figures of the larva of Melophagus, published 
by Prof. Leuckhart (J. ¢. ii. f. 2, 3) :—1. The outline of the 
larva of Nycterabia is oval, the anterior end of which 
is largest; the outline of the larva of Melophagus is 
a regular ellipse. 2. The larva of Nycteribia does not 
show the nipple-shaped projection representing the head 
of the larva of Melophagus. 38. The larva of Melophagus 
has, at the end of the body, three pairs of stigmata, pro- 
tected by a horny plate or armature ; there is nothing 
