THE FLY. 533 



G£NUsIII. Mujca. UheFIy, 



Tins numerous tribe is chara6lerifed by that foft and 

 fleihy probofcis which forms the mouth, and bj being 

 deflitute of palpi. There are aboiit an hundred and 

 thirty different fpecies of flies already known to natutal- 

 jfts, who have divided them into two grand fedlions ; 

 thofe with filiated and fimple antennae, and thofe whofe 

 antennce are furnifhed with a lateral hair or feather *, 



Nothing fo clearly demonflrates the imperfection of 

 the fcience of entymology as the fmall number of flies 

 that have been hitherto defcribed by naturalifts. The 

 Syftem of Nature in its lafl: ftate of enlargement, was 

 fuppofed to contain the moft accurate and complete enu- 

 meration of infecis that has yet been publiiTied : Mr» 

 Harris^ however, in his Expoiltion of the EngliJJj infects, 

 defcribes a greater number of flies indigenous in this 

 country, than the SwediJJj naturalifl had difcovered on 

 the whole face of the globe. Efigland is at the fame 

 time far from being the mofl productive country of thefe 

 animals. In Spain, they were formerly fo numerous, 

 that the fly-catcher, we are told, was not only a profeilion, 

 but a number of men were commiflioned by government 

 to give chace to thefe troublefome invaders. In all hot 

 climates they multiply to a degree almofl: intolerable, 



and 



* Syft. Nat. Ord. VI. Gen. m> 



