

FLIES 129 



ants tugging on every side. How they captured him, 

 and how they ever moved him any nearer home, was a 

 wonder to us, as there seemed to be no captain to the 

 troops of little workers, and every one appeared to be 

 pulling away without the slightest regard to the others, 

 and often in the opposite direction in which they 

 wished to go ; but the bulky load moved onward, 

 just as if the whole was under the guidance of 

 one. 



We were fortunate enough to find several gigantic 

 walking-sticks, with bodies seven or eight inches long, 

 and covered with spines. 



I still regard a riest of the little metallic blue butter- 

 flies, containing scores of chrysalids, which I after- 

 wards hatched out, as one of my best finds in Australia. 

 It was situated in the top of a small bush near the 

 Yara River, and was composed of fine, silken threads, 

 enclosing the chrysalids, which could be easily seen 

 from the outside. 



We walked many miles up the winding river, past 

 fine farms and orchards, where we often stopped to get 

 delicious plums and peaches, and then turned off to the 

 right through the forests and pastures. 



The flies were so numerous that if we had not had 

 our nets, I verily believe we should have gone mad. 

 They followed us in swarms, alighting on our backs, 

 until the original color of the cloth was indistinguish- 

 able. 



