THE STRATIOMYS. 361 



want of the somewhat illegitimate excitement which 

 necessarily attends the description of the proceedings 

 of insects whose habits affect our own comfort in 

 any way. 



The Stratiomys chameleon, one of the finest and 

 most abundant species of this group, is a rather large 

 fly, measuring fully half an inch in length and upwards 

 of an inch in expanse of wing. Its appearance, al- 

 though handsome, is rather singular, from the great 

 breadth of its flattened abdomen, which is of an 

 oblong-oval form and considerably wider than the 

 head and thorax, whilst its firm dusky wings lying flat 

 on the middle of its back during repose, its long, 

 slender, elbowed antennae, and pubescent thorax, give 

 it a good deal the aspect of some curiously-formed 

 Bee. Its general colour is black, with a brassy tinge 

 on the thorax, which is also clothed with dull tawny 

 hairs ; the head has two yellow spots in front ; the 

 scutellum is yellow, with two little spines on its 

 hinder margin ; and the abdomen has its lower surface 

 yellow, banded with black, a triangular yellow spot 

 on each side of its first segment above, two yellow 

 bands behind these, and a spot of the same colour at 

 the tip. The female is distinguished from her partner 

 by the presence of a small, yellow, lunate spot quite 

 at the back of the head. 



The antennae are black and about twice the length 

 of the head. They are placed close together on the 

 forehead, and the long first joints are often laid par- 

 allel to each other, so that on a cursory examination 

 this insect might be supposed to have its antennae 

 supported upon a long footstalk. The second joint is 

 not more than one-fourth of the length of the first, 

 and this is followed by what appears to be a long 



