THE FLY AND ITS HABITS 



889 



THE FOREST FLY (HIPPOBOSCA EQUINA). 

 (Four times the natural size.) 



Clegs devote themselves to one's person. 

 Mvriads of these green-eyed termagants, 

 but not a male among them ! 



The formidable nature of the Tabanid 

 mouth instruments will be seen from the 

 photograph on page 887. The hp and 

 tongue combined forms the sucking pro- 

 boscis, here placed close against the side 

 of the head. The other spread-out parts 

 are sharp stylets and cutting blades. 

 When operating upon a victim, the Tabanid 

 appUes its proboscis firmly to the chosen 

 spot and sucks up the blood from the 

 wound made and widened by using 

 together the stylets and blades. 



Tabanidae deposit their dark-hued eggs 

 upon grass or rushes in marshy places or 

 by the water's edge. The maggots, or 

 larvae, are whitish and cyhndrical, taper- 

 ing at the ends, and with rings of fleshy 

 protuberances encircling the body. Some 



are entirely aquatic, living among the mud 

 of ditches or under stones in rapid flowing 

 streams. They are carnivorous, devouring 

 snails, worms, and water-beetle grubs. 



THE llOKSE FLY {TABASVS liOVIS 

 (Magnified half a diameter.) 



VS) 



"RAT-TAILED MAGGOT" OF THE DRONE FLY 



{EKISTALIS) 

 And first and second pupal stages. 



Seeing a " rat -tailed maggot " brought 

 forth from a stagnant puddle, anyone 

 unacquainted with the strange vicissi- 

 tudes of insect hfe might 

 find it difftcult to believe 

 that so odd-looking a crea- 

 ture is in reality a Fly in 

 making. It appears in 

 early autumn as the 

 Drone Fly {Eristalis), 

 leisurely moving over 

 sunflowers and thistles 

 and flying suddenly from 

 bloom to bloom. At a 

 short distance it looks so 

 like a hive bee in size, 

 form, and colour that it 

 may readily be mistaken 

 for one. 



K. A. Staig. 



113 



