DIPTERA 141 



of small flies. They may be brightly colored and many 

 of them have wings banded and spotted in a very at- 

 tractive manner. Their bodies are slender and their 

 legs inclined to be long. The larvae feed on decaying 

 or fresh fruit and some species are serious pests. Es- 

 pecially is this true of one called the Mediterranean Fruit- 

 ity, which attacks certain sub-tropical fruits. Consider- 

 able sums of money are being expended to keep this fly 

 from becoming established in the state of California. 



Muscidce. The typical Muscids are included in this 

 family which is represented by the common House-fly, 

 (see page 175, Part II), the Stabk-fly the Blow-fly, Horn- 

 fly, and many other common species. Larvae of this 

 group are the familiar maggots which may be found in 

 decaying animal or vegetable matter of any description. 

 They are white, taper to a point at the head end, and, 

 though footless, are quite active. The pupae are smooth, 

 oval, or cylindrical with rounded ends. The family is 

 important on account of the numbers of species and of 

 individuals and the annoyance they cause man and ani- 

 mals, as well as for its part in the spread of many diseases. 

 Some forms, notably the Screw-worm Fly larvse, get into 

 flesh wounds of animals and cause serious inflammation 

 and even death. This insect is most abundant in the 

 Gulf States. 



[Diptera. On account of the great difficulty of identifying, with 

 any degree of certainty, even the more important groups of flies 

 without the use of minute characters of the antennae and difficult 

 structures of the wings, no attempt will here be made to formulate 

 a table for the use of the beginning student. He will have to iden- 

 tify the more common forms by means of the descriptions and the 

 figures accompanying them.] 



