Observations on some Insects little knoicn. 63 



rapidity : it does not long remain on the cattle, but throws 

 itself on the o:rass, and therefore can with difficvilty be 

 cauQfht. M. Schroter was able only once to obtain one of 

 these insects. It is fond of ftxcjuenting those fields which arc 

 interspersed with clumps of trees. The head is oval, and 

 tapers towards the mouth ; the mouth consists of two 

 moveable jaws, and the pincers are like those of the beetle. 

 'J'he whole head is covered with hair, but more so around 

 the mouth than on the forehead. The hair on the upper 

 part of the head stands erect like bristles, but that around 

 the mouth hangs down. Its colour is whitish. Two large 

 eyes stand on each side of the head, and two small ones 

 in the centre. The large eves are cut into facets, the small 

 ones are plane. It has a white hairy band, which passes 

 round the whole neck, and ends at the extremities of the. 

 first two legs. The corslet is round, very black, and at the 

 extremitv towards the body covered with single, crooked 

 hairs, white at the points. The two wings are white, a 

 little brownish, and not much longer than the body. The 

 hind part of the body is entirely covered ^\ith hair; the 

 upper part towards the corslet is entirely black, interspersed. 

 with single white hairs ; but the lower part and the rump 

 are yellow. The whole bodv terminates in a point. On the 

 lower part the insect is completely haiiy and black, except 

 on the rump, where it is yellow. The six legs are black : 

 the hind thighs are covered with hair, and the tarsus ha;^ 

 six joints. 



M. Schroter reckons this kind of gnat among the Lin- 

 njean flies with silk-like naked feelers ; and it certainly de- 

 serves to form a peculiar variety. He has given a repre- 

 sentation of it, tab. i. tig. 6. 



After him few seem to have paid anv attention to thi3 

 insect till it was again brought to notice by M. Bechslein. 

 He introduces it under the name of the cattle fly, musca 

 rieinormn Litm., as an enemy to cattle, and says it has four 

 eyes, and that the body is marked with yellow rings and 

 three white bands. 



From various grounds it appears that thi>^ insect, till its 

 natural history has been more accurately examined, may be 

 plaetd in the same class as the rhuigia of Fabricius. Expe- 

 rienced entomolgists will certainly do a great service to na- 

 tural history by undertaking the examination of this sub- 

 ject. Should it be found that it really belongs to this class, 

 It might l)c introduced into the system under the following 

 eha.raelers : 



Rhini'ia 



