NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Of the female and eggs. 



The female, when the time for laying her egg* 

 is at hand, approaches on wing that part of the 

 horse where she intends to deposit the egg, with 

 her body nearly upright; and her tail,, which is 

 lengthened out for the purpose, bent inwards: 

 she scarcely appears to settle, but merely touches 

 the hair, with the egg held out on the projected 

 point of the abdomen. The egg adheres by 

 means of a glutinous liquor secreted with it. She 

 then leaves the horse, goes to a small distance, 

 0rid prepares a second egg; then, poising herself 

 before the part, deposits this in the same way, 

 The liquor dries, and the egg becomes fiimly 

 glued to the hair: this is repeated by various 

 flies, till four or n*ye hundred eggs are sometimes 

 laid on one horse. The inside of the knee is the 

 part on which these flies principally deposit their 

 eggs; and next to this they fix them on the sides, 

 and the back part of the shoulder: but always in 

 places that are liable to be licked by the tongue. 

 When these eggs have remained on the hairs 

 four ,or h'v.e days they become ripe, after which 

 the slightest application of warmth and moisture 

 js sufficient to bring them into life. If at this 

 time the tongue of the horse touches the egg, its 

 lid is thrown open, and a small active worm is 

 produced, which readily adheres to the surface 

 of the tongue, and is from thence conveyed with 

 the food to the stomach. Scarcely, however, 

 one in a hundred arrives at the perfect state of a. 

 fly. The eggs, when ripe, often hatch of themr 



- 



