Insects. • 2099 



which as in Gerrisand Donacia, the under part of their body is invested, prevents their 

 receiving injury from the turbulent element, on which they spend their existence. 

 The clouds on the transverse and intersecting nervures of the wings disappear in long 

 kept specimens ; as in a typical example, presented by Mr. Haliday, the wings are 

 transparent throughout. Along with it, but showing a greater preference to shady 

 places, there are numbers of a small Medeterus, with reddish legs, beautiful green eyes, 

 and dusky wings. It is the M. curvipes (Dolichopus, Fall.) s. g. Camptosceles, Hal. 

 The male is distinguished by its curiously bent intermediate femora and tibiae. It 

 abounds all the summer. The clayey swamps are frequented by scattered individuals 

 of Ephydra littoralis. It is a sluggish fly, is easily taken, and moves by leaps rather 

 than by fair flight. It cares not whether it alight on water or dry ground, being pro- 

 vided with a shining polished surface, that repels water like an oil-cloth. Here also I 

 found a single specimen of E. guttata (Hydrina vernalis, Desv.) It belongs to the va- 

 riety with the legs black, and the facial reflections white. The only other species was 

 E. quadriguttata, Meig., of which I could see no more than a single specimen. As 

 this species is not characterized by Mr. Haliday in his ' Remarks on the Generic Dis- 

 tribution of the British Hydromyzidae ' (Annals of Nat. Hist. iii. June and August, 

 1839) I shall conclude these general observations by appending its characters, as well 

 as those of Phora fuscipes, which I do not find recorded as a British insect. 



Fam. UYDKOMYZWM, Fallen. 



Gen. Ephydra, Fallen. 



S. G. Scatella, Desv. 



E. quadrigutta, Meig. Dipt. Fur. vi. 



Face slightly prominent, yellowish clay-colour, with scattered blackish bristles ; an- 

 tennae very dark brown, tips paler ; front light brunneous, the sides shining, with an 

 opaque central spot; thorax of a fulvous clay-colour, and an indistinct appearance of 

 two dark lines (mjured); halteres yellow: abdomen of a blackish green, rather shin- 

 ing : legs black, viewed from above, dark brunneo-cinereous, from beneath : wings 

 dusky, a white spot near the first transverse nervure, a second very miuute, near the ex- 

 tremity of the cell, which is the second posterior j a third the largest, in the first pos- 

 terior cell ; a fourth behind the second transverse nervure, placed nearly in a line with 

 the first mentioned, and of the same size. Length 1 line. 



Ephydra quadriguttata, Macquart, Suites a Buffon, ii. 538. 



Hab. Kitchen Cleugh Dean, Berwickshire. It is recorded as British in Curtis's 

 ' British Entomology,' 413. 



Fam. PHORID^, Curtis. 



Gen. Phora, Latr. 



* Marginal nervure bifurcate at the extremity. 



** Submarginal nervure straight at its extremity. 



Ph. fuscipes, Macq. Suites & Buffon, ii. 627. 



Female. — Black ; antennae and palpi black, the latter with short black bristles, 

 setae of the former whitish at the extremity ; front somewhat shining, with several mi- 

 nute elevated points, bearing black bristles ; thorax rather shining, thickly punctulated, 

 with a slight central channel, finely griseous, downy, several curved bristles on the 



