196 DRONE-FLIES. 



insects in general an excellent example of clean- 

 liness. 



Attracted by the tempting scent, the fly might 

 often be seen upon the honeycomb, taking up 

 the sweet contents of the cells with its long 

 proboscis, which is not unlike an elephant's 

 trunk, the honey being drawn up by means of 

 flaps at the end which act as suckers. 



Often have I watched my drone flies and shown 

 them to my friends, who never fail to be interested, 

 and pronounce them remarkably curious creatures. 

 Though so common, they are well worth observ- 

 ing in this way through a magnifying glass, 

 for a casual glance will not enable us to see the 

 full beauty of the eye with its endless facets, the 

 structure of the legs and the spiny combs, or 

 the beautiful yellow fur which clothes the thorax. 



These flies of mine are let out in the room 

 for exercise on fine days, and enjoy flying about 

 in the sunshine. One of them remained out for 

 a week or more, and when replaced with his 

 friends he was seen to be thin and starved as 

 compared to the others who had lived in plenty. 



I often notice the great difference of character 



