410 



INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



sue him. . These flies appear sometimes to hide them- 

 selves in the grass, and as the horse stoops to graze 

 they dart upon the mouth or lips, and are always 

 observed to poise themselves during a few seconds 

 in the air, while the egg is preparing on the extended 

 point of the abdomen.''^* 



The moment the second fly just mentioned touches 

 the nose of a sheep, the animal shakes its head and 

 strikes the ground violently with its fore-feet, and at 

 the same time holding its nose to the earth, it runs 

 away looking about on every side to see if tbe flies 

 pursue. A sheep will also smell the grass as it goes, 

 lest a fly should be lying in wait, and if one be de- 

 tected, it runs off in terror. As it will not, like a horse 

 or an ox, take refuge in the water, it has recourse to a 

 rut or dry dusty road, holding its nose close to the 

 ground, thus rendering it difficult for the fly to get 

 at the nostril. «■ 



When the egg of the ox-breeze fly [Hijj)oderma 



a The belly ol' the grub, h Us back, c The tail of the grub, 

 greatly magnified, d The bump, or gall, liciving its external 

 aperture lilled with the tail ol' the grub. 



Linn. Trans, iii. 305. 



