412 OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS AND VERMES. 



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 ear's, 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 

 tossing their heads, and rubbing their noses on each other, regard- 

 less 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 troublesome at such seasons. Country people 

 call this insect the nose-fly. WHITE. 



Is not this insect the Oestms nasalis of Linnaeus, so well de- 

 scribed by Mr. Clark in the third volume of the " Linnaean 

 Transactions," under the name of Oestms veterinus ? MARKWICK. 



ICHNEUMON-FLY. 



I saw lately a small ichneumon-fly attack a spider much larger 

 than itself on a grass walk. When the spider made any resistance, 

 the ichneumon applied her tail to him, and stung him with great 

 vehemence, so that he soon became dead and motionless. The 

 ichneumon then running backward drew her prey very nimbly over 

 the walk into the standing grass. This spider would be deposited in 

 some hole where the ichneumon would lay some eggs ; and as soon 

 as the eggs were hatched, the carcase would afford ready food for 

 the maggots. 



Perhaps some eggs might be injected into the body of the spider, 

 in the act of stinging. Some ichneumon deposit their eggs in the 

 aurelia of moths and butterflies. WHITE. 



In my "Naturalist's Calendar" for 1795, July 2ist, I find the 

 following note : 



It is not uncommon for some -of the species of ichneumon-flies 

 to deposit their eggs in the chrysalis of a butterfly ; some time ago 

 I put two of the chrysales of a butterfly into a box, and covered it 

 with gauze, to discover what species of butterfly they would 

 produce ; but instead of a butterfly, one of them produced a 

 number of small ichneumon-flies. 



