of 



about two months the case of the chrysalis 

 opens, and the fly makes its appearance. 

 Sheep are exceedingly annoyed by these 

 flies, and to avoid them lie down in ruts 

 with their heads close to the ground ; at 

 other times we see them huddled together 

 under trees in a dense mass or phalanx, tl 

 nose of each being pushed into the fleece of 

 another. 



"There is a third species of Breeze-fly, 

 far more formidable than either of those 

 previously described : its eggs are laid on 

 the backs and sides of cows and oxen, and 

 the larv.-e hatched from them enter the hide, 

 producing tumours as large as pigeons' eggs. 

 The larva itself is of an oblong figure, larger 

 at one extremity than at the other ; the 

 body is divided into ten or twelve segments 

 by transverse bands, and these are again 

 intersected by six longitudinal lines, which 

 purse up the skin, and produce along the 

 sides a series of mammiform protuberances, 

 each possessing at its extremity a respiratory 

 pore : on each segment of the body may be 

 observed ridges, or dotted prominent lines, 

 interrupted however by the longitudinal 

 lines already noticed : there are in pairs a 

 narrower and broader line of minute dots or 

 points ; the narrower line is found, under a 

 lens, to be formed of hooks bent towards the 

 posterior extremity of the insect ; the broader 

 lines consist of smaller hooks bent in an 

 opposite direction, or towards its head : it is 

 probably by the aid of these hooks that the 

 animal raises or depresses itself in the 

 tumour, and finally, when mature, effects its 

 escape. 



" The food of the larva appears to be the 

 pus or matter surrounding it in the tumour 

 in which it exists : as regards the period of 

 its continuing to feed we have little satis- 

 factory information. Its colour when young 

 is white, but as it advances towards maturity 

 it becomes browner, and finally of a deep 

 dark brown, approaching to black : having 

 attained its full size, it presses itself against 

 the upper part of the tumour, and by some 

 unknown process makes an aperture in the 

 hide of about sufficient size to admit a pea ; 

 through this the larva wriggles .itself a 

 segment at a time until it comes quite out, 

 and falling to the ground seeks a convenient 

 retreat in which to become a chrysalis. 



" The chrysalis is of a dark brown colour, 

 and in figure somewhat resembles the half 

 of a walnut-shell, being narrower at one 

 end than the other, flat on one side, and 

 very rounded and convex on the other; after 

 lying on the ground for some weeks, a portion 

 of the indurated skin or cover, of a triangu- 

 lar shape, is forced up at the smaller end, 

 and through the aperture thus occasioned 

 the fly emerges. The fly is large and hand- 

 somely coloured ; although the presence of 

 the larva in the backs of cattle is frequently 

 observable, the insect in its perfect state is 

 rarely met with, and very few of our cabinets 

 possess good specimens ; it flies with rapidity, 

 but apparently without noise, and never 

 ventures over water. 



"The act of oviposition appears to be 

 attended with severe suffering, or apprehen- 

 sion at least, which makes the cattle run 



wild and furious, and gad or stray from the 

 pastures, and hence the ancient epithet of 

 gad-fly. When oxen are yoked to the plough, 

 the attack of this fly is attended with real 

 danger, since they become perfectly uncon- 

 trollable, and often run directly forwards 

 through the hedges, or whatever obstructs 

 their way. On this account many ploughs 

 are provided with a contrivance for setting 

 the oxen immediately at liberty. When 

 the cattle are attacked by this fly, it is easily 

 known by the extreme terror and agitation 

 of the whole herd ; the unfortunate object 

 of the attack runs bellowing from among 

 them, and seeks a refuge in the nearest 

 water ; the tail becomes rigid, and is bran- 

 dished aloft, or held straight out from the 

 body. Its frightened companions follow in 

 the rear of the animal attacked, and a wild 

 and apparently unmeaning chase takes place, 

 which, from the inelegant gallop of the cows, 

 has often a very ludicrous effect. 



BRENT GOOSE. A much smaller bird 

 than the common wild goose, but with longer 

 wings ; and It traverses greater distances in 

 its migrations. Its breeding places are in 

 the far north ; but it migrates for the winter 

 to France, England, Ireland, &c. The head, 

 neck, bill, and upper part of the breast are 

 black ; and on each side of the slenderest 

 part of the neck : the lower part of the 

 breast, the scapulars, and coverts of the wings 

 are ash-coloured; the feathers, both above 

 and below the tail, are white : and the tail, 

 the quill feathers, and the legs are black 



BRENTHID^E, or BRENTID.E. A fa- 

 mily of Coleopterous insects, which are 

 among the most remarkable of the beetle 

 tribe, and almost entirely confined to tropi- 

 cal climates. Distinguishing characters : 

 body much elongated ; tarsi with the penul- 

 timate joints bilobed ; antenna; filiform, 

 or in some with the terminal joint formed 

 into a club ; proboscis projecting horizon- 

 tally ; palpi minute. They are tound crawl- 

 ing on trees, or under the bark, and some- 

 times on flowers. Their general colour is 

 black or brown, with red spots or markings. 



Dr. Thaddeus Harris, librarian of Harvard 

 College, gives a detailed account of a North 

 American species, in his fine work on the 

 Insects of Massachusetts. We somewhat 

 condense his history of it. It is the Bren- 

 thus septemtriontiJis. The Northern Bren- 

 thus, so named because most of the other 

 species are tropical insects, is of a mahog- 

 any brown colour ; the wing cases are 

 somewhat darker, ornamented with narrow 

 tawny yellow spots, and marked with deep 

 furrows, the sides of which are punctured. 

 Its common length is about six-tenths of an 

 inch, but much larger as well as smaller spe- 

 cimens frequently occur. The Northern 

 Brenthus inhabits the white oak, on the 

 trunks and under the bark of which it may 

 be found in June and July, having then 

 completed its transformations. The female, 

 when about to lay her eggs, punctures the 

 bark with her slender snout, and drops an 

 egg in each hole thus made. The grub, as 

 soon as it is hatched, bores into the solid 

 wood, forming a cylindrical passage, which 



