BY FREDERICK A. A. SKUSE. 
1719 
attaching any name, in the hope that some foreign Dipter- 
ologist may be able to identify it. It is par excellence the domestic 
nocturnal pest of all the Australian colonies, rivalling its other 
wingless co-operators in bloodthirstiness. To residents who have 
been in the country a considerable time, the dreary hum of this 
evil genius of the sleeping-chamber is generally considered more 
ti’oublesome than its operation of phlebotomy, while to a new- 
comer the inflammation caused by the latter is accompanied with 
extreme irritation. 
The genus Anopheles, although numbering but few species, — 
less than thirty, — is widely diflfused. Five species are prevalent 
in Europe, seven in North America of which latter no less than 
three are common to it and Europe, one in the West Indies, at 
least four occur in South America, two in Southern Asia and 
the Eastern Isles, and lastly five is the small and undoubtedly 
unrepresentative total of Australian species. The genus ^des 
seems very limited in numbers ; two species are found in Europe, 
the same in North America, and one is now described from 
Australia. 
Of the remaining two genera belonging to the sub-family 
CoRETHRiNA, very little is known out of Europe Corethra has 
two known species in North and one in South America, and about 
eight species appear on the European list. Mochlonyx, as already 
mentioned, seems to be restricted to two or three species, all of 
which are European. 
The habits and young stages of the gnats or mosquitoes ai*e so 
well known that it is needless for me to recount them here. Tlie 
perfect insects occur about Sydney all the year I’ouiid, but very 
aVjundantly during the summer months ] certain species conceal 
themselves during the day, coming out in myriads in the evening, 
and returning to some suitable retreat again before daybreak ; 
others are day-fliers and cause much annoyance to travellers in the 
bush, especially as they sometimes appear in dense clouds. INIany 
species may be obtained by disturbing bushes, others are com- 
monly found in caves, hollow tree.s, &c., of course more particularly 
