67 



allied genus Chrysops has also many species. The largest of our horse-flies is Tabanus, 

 atratus, the Black Horse-fly. (Fig. 45.) A specimen of this now before me is one inch 

 in length of body and two inches in expanse of wings. It is one coloured, brownish-blacky 



Fig. '45. 



Tabanus lineola, the Lined Tabanus, is of a greyish-brown, and has a whitish line along, 

 the abdomen. It measures about an inch in expanse of wings. Its proboscis is a. 

 formidable arrangement of the maxillae and other mouth organs. The female horse-flies, 

 are those that are to be dreaded ; the males do not bite. 



"Wood in his Insects at Home, page 615, speaking of Tabanus bovinis, gives us a good 

 hint as to the way of dealing with the horse-flies generally. After telling of his sufferings 

 from the bites of these creatures— of returning to his lodgings with the whole space 

 behind his ears filled with clotted blood from the wounds inflicted upon him, he says : — 

 " At length I discovered a plan which enabled me to enjoy comparative immunity from 

 these and other insect pests. Before starting for the forest I dipped a little sponge in 

 paraffin and rubbed it over my hands, face and neck. I also put some of the liquid into 

 my gloves, and took a little bottle with me so that I might renew it as soon as the odour 

 began to decrease in strength. Thus armed I went into the forest, and hearing in the 

 distance the well-known trumpet charge of the Breeze Fly, determined to await the insect 

 without flinching. The creature drove fiercely at my face until it was within a foot or 

 eighteen inches from me, when it came within the vapour of the paraffin and darted off 

 like an arrow. Two or three times it tried the assault, and as often had to check itself, 

 until at last it flew off in disgust and did not return." 



Stomoxys Calcitrans. 



This is a small fly belonging to the family MusciDiE. It is about the size of the 

 hcuse-fry, but is very different from it in many respects. Its face is yellow and its eyes 

 are brown. Its thorax is yellow, striped above and below with black, and its abdomen 

 yellow, dotted with brown. Its wings have the front edge and the tip brown, and a 

 conspicuous brown patch in the middle. The creature has a sharp proboscis and bites 

 fiercely. It particularly affects the horse's ears. Probably paraffin rubbed on the ears 

 would save the horse many a pang. 



Hippobosca Equina. 



The Horse-tick is happily far less abundant than S. calcitrans, but its attacks are 

 more to be dreaded. It delights to get under the tail, or between the hind legs of the 

 horse ; and it renders the animal furious by the irritation caused by its beak and claws. 



No doubt the thick hairy coat, the mane and the tail of the horse were designed as 

 protectives against the attacks of injurious insects ; and those who have noticed how 



