THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 309 



flock, and the per centage of deaths will be much greater the 

 longer it is continued. To illustrate my meaning in another 

 way : —Supposing a farmer equally divides a flock of four 

 hundred ewes, and continues to interbreed with two hundred, 

 while for the other two hundred he goes to some ram- 

 breeder who, he knows, is continually importing fresh blood 

 into his flock, the result will be that, although both flocks are 

 kept side by side in the same fields the young of the former 

 only will go giddy ; and if, by chance, one should go giddy 

 from the latter flock it would point to some indiscretion 

 in breeding in a former generation. Now, if in such very 

 plain and straightforward cases as quoted above the mischief 

 is caused by a ' fly,' how does the insect discriminate between 

 the two flocks ? There may be two kinds of giddiness ; but 

 the above is the only form with which I am acquainted." — 

 Henry Reeks. 



4. Flesh-flies or hlow-flies. — Mr. Reeks, in answer to an 

 inquiry of mine, says : — " These flies deposit their eggs or 

 living larvae in the wool of sheep, generally about the root 

 of the tail or behind the shoulders, anywhere, in fact, where 

 the wool is most greasy. The larvae of these flies are most 

 troublesome to shepherds in the latter part of May and June, 

 until the sheep are sheared, and much later in the summer 

 with lambs, unless they are dipped in a preparation of arsenic 

 and soft-soap." — Henry Heeks ; North End, East Woodhay, 

 Newbury. 



Having for many years been acquainted with the mis- 

 chief done by these flies, often causing death to the sheep 

 and great loss to the farmer, I am most anxious to learn, 

 entomologically, to what species they really belong ; and I 

 shall be truly grateful for any information tending to clear up 

 this very obscure point. The larvae or maggots cannot, I am 

 aware, be obtained without considerable trouble ; nor can the 

 flies be reared from them without care and perseverance ; yet 

 as the subject is one of such great importance to the sheep- 

 owner, I trust I shall receive the help required. 



Haltica fuscicornis an enemy of seedling Saintfoin and 

 other Leguminosce. — Mr. Reel<s has sent me more than fifty 

 specimens of a small beetle, which is now doing incalculable 

 injury to the young plants of saintfoin, &c. Directly these 

 seedlings make their appearance above ground the beetles 



