152 CATALOGUE OF DIPTERA 



Chironomus virescens. 



This little fly caused no little alarm this summer : its appear- 

 ance in swarms being adjudged by vulgar rumour a precursor 

 of cholera. In some places they appeared in such numbers, 

 tljat the inhabitants had some trouble in shovelling them out 

 of their houses (in my informant's words). At Donaghadee, 

 clouds (of this species) were observed coming from seaward. 

 To prevent any error about the species, I add a description of 

 mine : — 



Length .08 :" colour light yellow, with three faint reddish stripes on 

 the thorax, the middle one not extending as far as the scutel : 

 abdomen greenish yellow : antennae and ends of feet darker : 

 poisers pale : wings naked, hyaline, with pale nervures. 



Ceratopogon distinctus. Flavus ; capite, antennis bast, 

 thoracis dorso, metathorace genubusque nigris. 



Size of C. ornatus. Antennae dusky yellow : thorax shining, scutel 

 yellow : hind shanks dusky : wings hyaline : poisers milk white : 

 fore thighs thick spinous. 



C. brachialis. Niger, nitidus, abdominis basi,pedibus anterio- 

 ribus et femoribus posticis luteis, geniculis nigris. 



Form of the lust : hind shanks black, rufescent at both ends : hind 

 feet yellowish at the base : wings hyaline, with thick nervures : 

 poisers black : antennaj dusky yellow, the root black. 



C. gracilis. Flavus; vertice, thoracis dorso, abdomineque 



nigris, nitidis. 

 All the thighs slender, fore pair bristly beneath the tip, hind thighs 



and shanks dusky : wings hyaline, with distinct nervures, 



smaller, and more slender than the preceding. 



Sphaeromyas concinnus. Abdoinine albo,postice fasciis Iribiis 



nigris. 

 Cer. concinnus. Meig. 1. 

 Resembles S. varipes in almost every respect, but the black bands 



of the abdomen are constant. 



It is very abundant about Lough Neagh, less so at Holy- 

 wood. 



Sph. vai'ipes. 



Male scarcely half as large, pencil of antennas glossy white. 

 3 The measurements are all in decimal parts of an English inch. 



