THE BEE-FLIES. 603 



a whitish line along the top of the hind body. Besides 

 these flies, we have several more kinds 

 of Tabanus, some of which do not appear 

 to have been described. These blood- 

 thirsty insects begin to appear towards 

 the end of June, and continue through 

 the summer, sorely tormenting both 

 horses and cattle with their sharp bites. Their proboscis, 

 though not usually very long, is armed with six stiff and ex- 

 ceedingly sharp needles, wherewith they easily pierce through 

 the toughest hide. It is stated that they will not touch a 

 horse whose back has been well washed with a strong de- 

 coction of walnut-leaves. The eyes of these flies are very 

 beautiful, and vary in their colors and markings in the dif- 

 ferent species. 



The golden-eyed forest-flies are also distinguished for the 

 brilliancy of their spotted eyes, and for their clouded or 

 banded wings. They are much smaller than the horse- 

 flies, but resemble them in their habits. Some of them 

 are entirely black ( Clirysops ferrugat us, Fabricius 2 ), others 

 are striped with black and yellow ( Chrysops vittatus, Wiede- 

 mann). They frequent woods and thickets, in July and 

 August. 



The bee-flies, or Bombylians (BOMBYLIADJE), have a very 

 slender proboscis, sometimes exceeding the length of their 

 body. They are met with in sunny paths in the woods, 

 in April and May. They fly with great swiftness, stop 

 suddenly every little while, and, balancing themselves with 

 their long, horizontal spread wings, seem to hang suspended 

 in the air. They often hover, in this way, over the early 

 flowers, sucking out the honey thereof, like humming-birds, 

 with their long bills. Our largest bee-fly is the Bombylius 



[ 2 Clirysops ferrugatus, Fab., is n Tabanus, and not a Chrysops. Besides, it has 

 much more frrruyinmts and cinereous than black in its coloring (compare its de- 

 scription in Wic-d. Au**. Zw., Vol. I. p. 186). Dr. Harris means probably the 

 Chrysops nir/er, Mci<r. which, next to C. vittatus, Wied., is the common Chrysops 

 of this country. OSTEN SACKEN.] 



