NO.2009. THE DIPTEROUS GENUS SYMPHOROMYIA—ALDRICII. 115 



mentions Osten Sacken's item already quoted, and adds an interest- 

 ing list of cases where bloodsucking has been attributed to Leptidae of 

 other genera; later in the same volume he mentions conversing with 

 Prof. R. A. Cooley on the habits of a Montana species, and gives the 

 following statement from him : 



We have repeatedly taken a species of Symphoromyia in the act of taking blood. 

 They have always attacked me on the hand, and they inflict a painful wound. The 

 first time I was bitten by one I slapped with the same caution that I would a mos- 

 quito, lest it should escape, but I soon learned that this was unnecessary, for one can 

 pick them up with the fingers as he would an inert object. In fact, you may poke them 

 around with the finger without causing them to fly. They come and alight almost 

 silently and generally come singly. Our note on this species is as follows: "Note 143. — 

 Troublesome bloodsucking fly. Causing swelling; very painful. Fly is silent when 

 alighting." 



It is my impression that this is distinctly a mountain form; that is, we do not find 

 it in our large open valleys, but only in mountainous places. 



Mr. Cooley's specimens bearing the number 143 are S. hirta Johnson. 

 Prof. T. D. A. Cockercll furnishes the following hitherto unpub- 

 lished instance of the bloodsucking habit: 



On July 6, 1914, at the Webber ranch, between Ward and Aliens Park, Colorado, a 

 Symphoromyia settled on my right hand close to the base of the little finger, and sucked 

 blood. Unfortunately, I crushed the fly before noticing what it was, but I preserved 

 the crushed specimen, smeared with blood. « The wound was not painful; it appeared 

 as a bright red spot, and soon healed. The next day, on the Longs Peak Trail above 

 Longs Peak Inn, at about 10,000 feet, Symphoromyia attacked a lady member of our 

 party. We captured two specimens, before they had drawn any blood, and preserved 

 them in good condition. They belong to two different species, one of which is 

 identical with the one from Webber ranch. 



The three specimens accompanied the note; two are S. hirta, 

 including the one which actually sucked blood; the other is S. atripes. 



I found S. atripes Bigot very troublesome to horses on the stage 

 road from Ashford, Washington, to Longmires Springs, in the Mount 

 Rainier National Park. This was on August 2, 1905. There were 

 about 100 flies at once hovering about the four-horse stage team, many 

 biting the horses and a few the passengers. They were most abun- 

 dant about the horses' heads, and I noticed the blood trickle down 

 from punctures that the fly had left, indicating that the razor- 

 edged mandibles cut a considerable hole in the skin. I have never 

 seen Tabanidae attack horses so severely. See notes under pacliy- 

 ceras and Icincaidi. 



On several occasions I have had female Symphoromyias alight on 

 my hands and clothing as if attracted, but depart without biting. 

 However, on May 31, 1913, near Moscow, Idaho, I was bitten a couple 

 of times by S. inquisitor, new species, which was plentiful that day. 

 I captured some thirty specimens alighting upon me, or circling 

 about my head exactly as a Chrysops does. 



