The Greenbottles 



mary notion of the habits of the rest. We 

 will therefore confine ourselves to the two 

 principal subjects, namely, the Luciliae, or 

 Greenbottles, and the Sarcophagae, or Grey 

 Flesh-flies. 



The Luciliae — Flies that glitter — are mag- 

 nificent Flies known to all of us. Their me- 

 tallic lustre, generally a golden green, rivals 

 that of our finest Beetles, the Rose-chafers, 

 Buprestes and Leaf-beetles. It gives one a 

 shock of surprise to see so rich a garb adorn 

 those workers in putrefaction. Three species 

 frequent my pans : Lucilia Casar, Lin., L. 

 cadaverina, Lin., and L. cuprea, Rob. The 

 first two, both of whom are gold-green, are 

 plentiful; the third, who sports a coppery 

 lustre, is rare. All three have red eyes, set in 

 a silver border. 



Lucilia Casar is larger than L. cadaverina 

 and also more forward in her business. I 

 catch her in labour on the 23rd of April. 

 She has settled in the spinal canal of a neck 

 of mutton and is laying her eggs on the mar- 

 row. For more than an hour, motionless in 

 the gloomy cavity, she goes on packing her 

 eggs. I can just see her red eyes and her 

 silvery face. At last, she comes out. I gather 

 the fruit of her labour, an easy matter, for 



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