472 OBSERVATIONS ON 



(ESTRUS CURVICAUDA. 



THIS insect lays its nits or eggs on horses' legs, flanks, 

 &c. each on a single hair. The maggots when hatched 

 do not enter the horses' skins, but fall to the ground. 

 It seems to abound most in moist moorish places, though 

 sometimes seen in the uplands 14 . 



NOSE FLY. 



ABOUT the beginning of July, a species of fly (Musca) 

 obtains, which proves very tormenting to horses, trying 

 still to enter their nostrils and ears, and actually laying 

 their eggs in the latter of those organs, or perhaps in 

 both. When these abound, horses in woodland districts 

 become very impatient at their work, continually toss- 

 ing their heads, and rubbing their noses on each other, 

 regardless of the driver, so that accidents often ensue. 

 In the heat of the day, men are often obliged to desist 

 from ploughing. Saddle horses are also very trouble- 

 some at such seasons. Country people call this insect 

 the nose fly 15 . 



ICHNEUMON FLY. 



I SAW lately a small ichneumon fly attack a spider 

 much larger than itself on a grass walk. When the 



hood, that, in the month of August, no less than seven or eight nests were 

 ploughed up in one field : of which there were several instances, as I 

 was informed. 



In the spring, about the beginning of April, a single wasp is sometimes 

 seen, which is of a larger size than usual ; this I imagine is the queen or 

 female wasp, the mother of the future swarm. MARKWICK. 



14 A full account of the proceedings of the Gasterophilus Equi, LEACH, 

 will be found in Letter XXXIV. to Pennant, and in the note subjoined 

 to it, at p. 150. E. T. B. 



15 Is not this insect the CEstrus nasalis of Linnaeus, so well described by 

 Mr. Clark in the third volume of the Linnean Transactions, under the 

 name of CEstrus veterinus*? MARKWICK. 



* [Gayterofthilus nasalis, CURT.] 



