224 LETTERS TO DR. FLETCHER [CHAP. xx. 



fruit. I watched and recorded until I got so weary of acting 

 as their fruiterer that I thought seventeen days' observation 

 was enough. 



Amongst pine attackers I have had a lovely specimen of 

 the Astynomus cedilis (Timberman beetle), sent me from the 

 north of Scotland, the longest horned of the European 

 " longhorns." It is wonderfully pretty to see the tiny beetle, 

 not three-quarters of an inch long,, comfortably bearing 

 its delicate antennae, nearly half a foot in expanse. Also 

 I have got a good observation of the Pine Shoot moth's 

 bad doings ; the Retinia buoliana, the " Post-horn " attack 

 as they call it in Germany, from the twisted shoots ; and 

 some other fresh work but the great point of this year's 

 observation is Horse and Cattle Diptera, Warble flies, Gad 



Slightly larger than life ; line showing natural length. 



FIG. 54. TIMBERMAN BEETLE, ASTYNOMUS 



flies, and Forest flies. Just now Forest flies are being sent 

 me from India. The Indian species is very pretty. I have 

 been working up the structure of the Hippoboscal foot, which 

 is indeed wonderful (pis. xxili., xxiv.). I do not understand 

 the details, so I have had two great drawings made, and litho- 

 graphed, for my next Annual Report, with the tiny foot mag- 

 nified to a size of 6 inches by 5, showing every detail that 

 appears to me observable, and I wonder what the parts will 

 be considered to do. I think I have made out a good deal, 

 but there is some apparatus that none of the few people I 

 have consulted make out. 



May 15, 1897. 



You will have seen the state of enthusiasm this whole 

 country is in about the celebration of the Queen's Jubilee. 

 I trust that the exertion and excitement will not be quite too 

 much for her, but it will be a great trial. 



Another matter I feel more at home in do you happen 

 to have seen in some of our English papers that some of us 



