INSECTS 



Wanstead, N. viscerella at Colchester and Wickham Bishops, N. catbar- 

 ticella at Danbury, N. septembrella is plentiful at Colchester, and N. 

 intimella has occurred at Witham. N. subbimaculella^ N. trimaculella, 

 N. quinquella and N. Jioslactella occur frequently at Colchester. N. 

 salicis, N. microtheriella, N. plagicolella and N. tityrella are common. N. 

 malella has been found at Walthamstow, N. angulifasciella at Colchester, 

 and N. rubrvora has been taken in the county by Mr. Warren. N. 

 marginicolella, N. alnetella and N. aurella are common. N. regiella has 

 been obtained at Brentwood and Colchester, N. puherosella has been 

 bred from Epping Forest larvae by Mr. E. R. Bowles. Trifurcula 

 immundella has been captured at Wanstead by Mr. Warren. 



DIPTERA 



Flies 



The Diptera are for the most part small or moderate sized insects 

 with two fully developed membranous wings and two inconspicuous 

 haltares or balancers situated where other insects are provided with hind 

 wings. 



The order is extremely numerous in species, many of which are so 

 excessively prolific and so ubiquitous that everybody is of necessity more 

 or less acquainted with some of them, though they have been hitherto 

 so little studied in this country that few British entomologists know 

 much about them. 



In recent years a small number of earnest workers have been 

 endeavouring to bring about a more satisfactory condition of things, 

 and with the commencement of the new century Mr. Verrall, who is 

 our chief authority, has brought out the first volume of what promises 

 to be a fine work on the order ; so that it is to be hoped that before 

 long we may be able to give a better account of it than we are at 

 present. 



The Diptera have been painted in anything but alluring colours 

 hitherto, and even Professor Westwood, from whom they might have 

 expected better treatment, condemns them root and branch ; for in his 

 famous Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects he says that 

 ' while their size entitles them to small consideration, they have slender 

 claims to our notice on the score of beauty, their forms are inelegant 

 and their manners and customs atrocious and disgusting.' 



While some species of Diptera are undoubtedly harmful to us or to 

 our belongings there is another side to the question, since among them 

 are many which render us essential service as scavengers in the removal 

 of putrefying substances, as checks upon the undue increase of other 

 insects, as fertilizers of flowers and in a variety of other ways. 



Nor is the statement that they are devoid of elegance of form or 



beauty of colouring to be allowed to pass without challenge, seeing that 



many among them are brilliantly coloured and extremely beautiful. On 



the continent, and to a limited extent in this country, it has been the 



i 177" 23 



