22 THE LAPLAND ALPS. 



ly the reindeer are incommoded in hot wea- 

 ther, insomuch that they cannot stand still 

 a minute, no nota moment, without chang- 

 ing their posture, starting, puffing and 

 blowing continually, and all on account of a 

 little fly. Even though amongst a herd of 

 perhaps five hundred reindeer there were not 

 above ten of these flies, every one of the 

 herd trembled and kept pushing its neigh- 

 bour about. The fly meanwhile was try- 

 ing every means to get at them; but it no 

 sooner touched any part of their bodies, 

 than they made an immediate eftbrt to 

 shake it off. In one respect this season is 

 peculiarly propitious to the insect, as the 

 reindeer's coat is now very thin, most of the 

 hair of last year's growth being fallen off. 

 I caught one of these insects as it was fly- 

 ing along with its tail protruded, which had 

 at its extremity a small linear orifice, per- 

 fectly white. The tail itself consisted of 

 four or five tubular joints, slipping into 

 each other, like a pocket spying-glass, which 

 this fly, like others, has a power of contract- 



