76 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



and darting suddenly into them, sucking the honey-drop 

 with this long and slender ligula, and then out again with 

 a swift jerking flight not very easily followed. Its body 

 is a dull red ; the wings finely veined, like all its family, 

 the Syrphidse. 



HEAD OF DRONE-FLY, OR HELOPHILUS- 



This so nearly resembles the Rhingia that little need be 

 added in explanation, except of the fly itself, which is one 

 of the Syrphidse, nearly related to the Ehingia. The Helo- 

 philus is that large black and yellow fly so common in the 

 Autumn on Michaelmas Daisies, often mistaken for a "Wasp, 

 as it makes a loud humming noise and is very intent upon 

 its feast. It passes through a greater change than most of 

 the fly tribe ; for it lived and fed in the foulest sewer as a 

 rat-tailed larva which is very curious in its manner of 

 breathing. This larva has a long retractile tail, with the 

 action of a telescope, capable of immense extension to reach 

 the surface of the water or mud for air. The body being 

 very transparent, the tracheal vessel is distinctly seen in a 

 wavy line the whole length of the tail. 



HEAD OF ERISTALIS, 



differs only from Helophilus in having a black hairy body, 

 more like a Bee. The antennas are very beautiful. 



HEAD OF TLPULA. 



This favorite and beautiful preparation is the head of 

 our familiarly called Daddy-long-legs. The colour adds to 

 the beauty of the lacework eye, and the fine antennas, simple 

 yet varied in the length of the joints, which are each 

 slightly hairy. The palpi have four joints, and bend over 

 the broad fleshy proboscis, in which large trachea are dis- 

 tinctly seen. These Tipulas are very destructive in the 

 grub state. The female deposits her eggs in deep burrows 

 by means of a long ovipositor, consisting of four pieces ; 

 two of them bore like an auger the required hole in the 

 earth, and the other two join and conduct the egg to its 

 appointed place. "When the larva hatches it has two short 



