SYRPHIM. 



247 



or spurious vein, nearly always present and characteristic 

 of the family . 



The family Syrphidae is one of the most extensive in 

 the order. About twenty-five hundred species are known 

 throughout the world and new forms are constantly discov- 

 ered. They contain among them many of the bright- 

 est-colored flies, and numerous specimens are sure to 

 appear in any general collection of insects. None are 

 injurious in their habits to man's economy and many are 

 beneficial. In their adult habits they all have a great 

 uniformity. They are flower-flies and feed upon honey 

 and pollen, loving the bright sunshine. 



Fig. 98. Milesia virginiensis, enlarged. 



The larvae are usually not very elongate, with firm, 

 sometimes tough skin, the head-segments small and ex- 

 tensile, the head not distinctly differentiated. The ex- 

 ternal mouth-parts are either wholly wanting, with only 

 a soft fleshy opening, or there are two or four outwardly 



