﻿27G 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  August 
  1906 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  to 
  greatly 
  worry 
  animals 
  and 
  man 
  especially 
  

   during 
  the 
  late 
  evening 
  hours. 
  Their 
  bite 
  is 
  not 
  confined 
  to 
  any 
  hour 
  

   of 
  the 
  day 
  or 
  night 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  specially 
  a 
  nuisance 
  during 
  the 
  evening 
  

   hours. 
  During 
  the 
  hot 
  hours 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  they 
  are 
  generally 
  seen 
  attacking 
  

   in 
  shady 
  places. 
  They 
  apparently 
  feed 
  on 
  any 
  mammals 
  but 
  seem 
  

   to 
  be 
  specially 
  fond 
  of 
  horses, 
  bullocks, 
  buffaloes 
  and 
  goats. 
  Fowls 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  earthworms 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  attacked 
  by 
  these 
  flies 
  in 
  

   great 
  numbers. 
  Flies 
  of 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  Culicoides 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  

   of 
  drawing 
  more 
  blood 
  than 
  they 
  can 
  cope 
  with. 
  I 
  have 
  marked 
  several 
  

   species 
  of 
  Ctdicoides 
  at 
  Belgachia, 
  Calcutta, 
  alighting 
  upon 
  a 
  bull 
  which 
  

   was 
  tied 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  air 
  during 
  the 
  evening 
  hours 
  in 
  September, 
  and 
  

   entering 
  straight 
  into 
  the 
  hairs 
  to 
  suck 
  blood. 
  After 
  taking 
  their 
  fill, 
  

   which 
  is 
  generally 
  accomplished 
  within 
  3 
  to 
  10 
  minutes, 
  they 
  were 
  

   observed 
  to 
  emerge 
  from 
  the 
  hairs. 
  Many 
  of 
  these 
  flies 
  had 
  so 
  much 
  

   blood 
  in 
  their 
  abdomen 
  that 
  each 
  of 
  them 
  looked 
  like 
  a 
  small 
  droplet 
  

   of 
  blood. 
  Several 
  of 
  these 
  gluttonous 
  flies 
  after 
  the 
  meal 
  were 
  seen 
  

   falling 
  down 
  in 
  their 
  attempt 
  to 
  fly. 
  The 
  bite 
  of 
  some 
  species 
  is 
  very 
  

   painful 
  in 
  certain 
  cases 
  and 
  causes 
  swelling 
  or 
  sometimes 
  reddish 
  marks 
  

   with 
  severe 
  irritation 
  lasting 
  for 
  some 
  time. 
  I 
  give 
  below 
  my 
  experi- 
  

   ence 
  in 
  Assam 
  about 
  the 
  bite 
  of 
  these 
  flies. 
  On 
  alighting 
  upon 
  my 
  

   body 
  the 
  fly 
  was 
  marked 
  to 
  insert 
  the 
  proboscis 
  which 
  caused 
  a 
  smart 
  

   burning 
  sensation. 
  This 
  after 
  a 
  while 
  diminished, 
  but 
  a 
  further 
  burning 
  

   sensation 
  was 
  again 
  felt 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  deeper 
  thrust 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  

   injection 
  of 
  salivary 
  fluid. 
  The 
  irritation 
  for 
  the 
  second 
  time 
  again 
  

   decreased 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  followed 
  by 
  another 
  smart 
  sensation 
  and 
  at 
  this 
  

   point 
  the 
  fly 
  stopped 
  feeding. 
  

  

  These 
  flies 
  do 
  not 
  break 
  open 
  the 
  skin 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  cause 
  blood 
  

   to 
  ooze 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  puncture. 
  C. 
  oxystoma 
  after 
  its 
  feed 
  has 
  usually 
  

   been 
  noticed 
  to 
  rest 
  near 
  the 
  host 
  on 
  a 
  wall 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  convenient 
  

   object. 
  They 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  cases 
  to 
  sit 
  at 
  the 
  height 
  

   of 
  about 
  four 
  to 
  six 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  floor 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  marked 
  preference 
  

   for 
  brownish 
  or 
  dirty 
  brown 
  colour 
  over 
  white. 
  This 
  species 
  can 
  readily 
  

   be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  its 
  sister 
  species 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  habitually 
  

   sits 
  on 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  stable, 
  especially 
  after 
  its 
  meal, 
  keeping 
  the 
  head 
  

   and 
  the 
  proboscis 
  well 
  pressed 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  and 
  directed" 
  

   towards 
  the 
  earth. 
  This 
  peculiar 
  attitude 
  is 
  so 
  well 
  maintained 
  by 
  

   the 
  fly 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  mistaken 
  for 
  a 
  particle 
  of 
  dirt. 
  The 
  species 
  in 
  

   question 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  a 
  drain 
  of 
  sluggish 
  water 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  stable 
  drain. 
  They 
  breed 
  thoughout 
  the 
  year 
  but 
  profusely 
  

   during 
  the 
  hot 
  and 
  wet 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  Lately 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  

   seen 
  breeding 
  in 
  the 
  algae 
  growing 
  in 
  the 
  overflow 
  water 
  near 
  the 
  well 
  

   of 
  a 
  stable. 
  

  

  