﻿102 FIELD AND FOREST. 



The next stage was more difficult with regard to balance, for the 

 middle left leg had to play its part in cleaning the two hind ones, and 

 the support of the three disengaged ones was obviously not quite satis*- 

 factory. In this part great care appeared to be bestowed on the tarsi, 

 and as soon as the hind legs were all right they in their turn were ap- 

 plied as cleaning brushes. Only the hind legs were used in brushing 

 the under-surfaces of the wings, and when these and their fore edges 

 had been carefully cleaned, the fly started again on the right side. 



The head being all right required nothing more, but after a little 

 recleaning of the front legs, the second on the right side was dressed 

 as its companion had been, but more slightly, and then rubbed simi- 

 larly with the two hind ones : and then everything being in order for 

 the most important part of the operations, the dressing of the upper 

 surface of the wings was proceeded with by drawing them longitudi- 

 nally between the two hind legs. The greatest attention was given 

 to the front edge of the wings, this part being gone over in both se- 

 ries of brushings. 



The operation was interesting from the perfectly regular and syste- 

 matic method in which it was conducted, the limbs acting as brushes, 

 being each made scrupulously clean successively before carrying on 

 their services, and the front legs (the primary cleaners) being dressed 

 again before starting the work on the second side, whilst the wings 

 (the most important part of all) were dressed and their edges 

 carefully attended to in both series of operations. During the move- 

 ment constantly going on during the day, the flies, though only too 

 frequently present, are rarely stationary, but the perfect quiet of the 

 early morning gave an unusal chance for observation. — O. in Gar- 

 deners' Chronicle. 



Maggots in Strawberries. — Last spring we noticed that late straw- 

 berries were infested with a small larva, working in the berry, which 

 produces a species of Drosophila. We engaged a fruit grower to fur- 

 nish us berries, for a friend, as long as any could be gathered, and 

 several lots were brought after these berries had disappeared from the 

 markets, but invariably were infested, on the inside, with the larvas 

 above named. The species of fly was not determined. 



