204 NATURE-STUDY 



slender rods, as can be very nicely seen in the long-legged 

 crane-flies. 



The large compound eyes of the fly are very prominent and 

 his sight is good. Try to catch a fly. 



The mouth is very complicated in structure varying in 

 different kinds of flies and the other genera of the order. 

 In the house-fly the mandibles and maxillae are aborted, but 

 the lower lip is a curious, extensible organ, called a tongue or 

 proboscis. It is usually folded up under the head, but when 

 in use it is thrust out and opens up into two lobes, which are 



FIG. 66. Honey-bees: Drone, Queen, and Worker. 

 (From Benton.) 



rough, like a file or rasp. With this rough tongue the fly can 

 scrape off bits of meat, bread, etc., and lap up liquids. Place 

 a little dry and liquid food for some flies to eat, and observe 

 the use they make of the! tongues. 



There are many species of flies. The most common is our 

 house-fly, but there are meat-flies, bluebottle-flies, fruit- 

 flies, horse-flies, deer-flies, etc. Some of these have mouth- 

 parts adapted to piercing and sucking, as in the case of the 

 last two. 



Adult winged insects do not grow and moult the skin. 

 Hence the small flies we see are not young house-flies, but 

 belong to another, smaller species. 



The house-fly is an immigrant from Europe, probably 



