INSECTS : THEIE MOUTHS. 



175 



The tongue of the common Fies (House-fly, Blow- 

 fly, &c.) is an exquisite microscopical object, from its 

 extreme complexity and beauty. You are familiar 

 with the way in which a fly, having alighted close to a 

 drop of tea on the table, applies to it a proboscis with 

 large dilated extremity, and presently licks it all up. 

 You shall now see the curious implement by which this 

 is effected. 



The broad portion of the object before us, forming 

 its bottom part, bristling with course black hair, is the 



TONGUE OF BLOW-PLY. 



front of the head of a Elow-fly. From the midst of this 

 projects a dark brown mass terminating in two points, 

 and inclosing a narrower and darker object with two 



