Descriptions of British Diptera. 1 G-5 



ly black ; lialteres pale yellow ; wings brownish yellow, darkest 

 about the discoidal cell ; legs yellow, the thighs, particularly the 

 anterior pair, and frequently the extremity of the tarsi, slightly tin- 

 ged with dusky. Length about 4 lines. 



Not a very abundant species, but found occasionally throughout 

 England and in the south of Scotland. In the vicinity of Edin- 

 burgh it has been taken at Duddingston, and in the Botanic Gar- 

 den ; likewise in Roxburghshire and East Lothian. " Near Dor- 

 chester," J. C. Dale, Esq. " Bath," Charles C. Babington, Esq. 

 " Not rare in Ireland," A. H. Haliday, Esq. 



5. Sargus Reaumuri. (s.) 



Fabr. Syst. And. 256 Meig. Zwei. Ins. iii. 109 — Curtis, Brit. Ent. vii. 



305. 2 



In this beautiful species there is a remarkaMe discrepancy in the 

 appearance of the sexes, the female being conspicuously distinguish- 

 ed by having the base of the abdomen of a bright red ; in both sexes 

 the head and antennae are blackish, the hypostome blue-black ; 

 two white spots over the base of the antennae, the ocelli placed on the 

 crown almost at equal distances from each other, the anterior one not 

 being so remote as in any of the preceding species: thoraxbright gold- 

 en-green above, and bluish or greenish black beneath, each side with 

 a whitish longitudinal line, separating the two colours : abdomen in 

 the male long and narrow, of a uniform light copper-colour, clothed 

 on the sides with rather long whitish hairs standing at right angles 

 with the surface ; in the female the two first segments red with a 

 quadrate violaceous spot on the back of the first segment, and an 

 elongate-ovate one on the second, the remaining segments shining 

 steel blue, with ochreous pubescence : halteres and legs ochreous 

 yellow, the tarsi blackish towards the tip : wings light brown, slight- 

 ly iridescent, the nervures piceous. Length of the male 6 lines ; 

 of the female 4^-5. (Woodcut, p. 160,jig. 3. $ J 



Scarce, but occurring at times in many parts of the country. A 

 considerable number of both sexes were once taken by Mr Duncan 

 in an open and marshy part of a wood on the banks of the Tiviot, 

 in the month of August, and others have been noticed in the vicini- 

 ty of Edinburgh. " RockclifF Moss, Cumberland, taken on 5th July 

 by T. C. Heysham, Esq.; and I possess a specimen which was found, 

 I believe, in Kent." Curtis, B. E. vii. fol. 305. " Braid Hills, near 

 Edinburgh," Dr Stark. " Jedburgh," Rev. William Little. " Holmes, 

 Roxburghsire," Sir William Jardine, Bart. " Twizell, occasional," 

 P. J. Selhy, Esq. 



