(Ill), 



352 . C. GOEDON HEWITT. 



Linnaeus never selected a more truly specific title; 

 nevertheless, other species of closely allied flies are found in 

 houses. These may be either co-inhabitants, that is, living in 

 houses, as in the case of H. canicularis and one or two 

 others to be mentioned subsequently, or they may be 

 visitants. The visitants normally lead an open-air life, but 

 sometimes, as in the case of Stomoxys calci trans, they 

 spend a portion of their time in houses, when climatic condi- 

 tions are less favourable for out-door life. Such flies as the 

 blow-fly, or " blue-bottle," Calliphora erythrocephala, 

 and its allies, enter houses only in search of suitable sub- 

 stances upon which to deposit their eggs. The appearance in 

 houses of certain flies, as, for example, Pollenia rudis, can 

 only be regarded as accidental, and the cause may be often 

 traced to the occurrence of climbing plants such as ivy or other 

 creepers on the walls of the house. 



In India two species of flies closely allied toM. domestic a 

 are found M uscadomestica sub-sp. deter minata Walker 

 and M. enteniata, both of which, on account of their close 

 resemblance to M. domestica and the similarity of their 

 breeding habits, are frequently mistaken for it. 



(1) M. domestica sub-sp. determinata Walker. 



This Indian variety of the house-fly was described by 

 Walker (1856) from the East Indies. His description is as 

 follows : " Black, with a hoary covering ; head with a white 

 covering; frontalia broad, black, narrower towards the 

 feelers; eyes bare; palpi and feelers black; chest with four 

 black stripes ; abdomen cinereous, with a large tawny spot on 

 each side at the base ; legs black ; wings slightly grey, with 

 a tawny tinge at the base ; praebrachial vein forming a very 

 obtuse angle at its flexure, very slightly bent inward from 

 thence to the tip ; lower cross-vein almost straight ; alulae 

 whitish, with pale yellow borders ; halteres tawny." 



In appearance and size it is very similar to M, domestica. 

 Its breeding habits are also similar. Aldridge (1904) states 



