86 



Hippelates flies and sore eyes. — The late Dr. James C. Neal wrote us from Still- 

 water, Okla., just before his lamented death, that in his experience in Florida Hip- 

 pelates is a carrier of the virus of gonorrheal sore eyes from person to person, 

 causing the epidemic form ; but that if crushed in the angle of the eye a very violent 

 inflammation of the lid, without pus, occurs. The body of the fly seems to con- 

 tain an acid, probably formic, which causes great suffering to the unfortunate child 

 that has, with some trouble, succeeded in crushing it in the angle of the eye. A 

 week solution of sodium bicarbonate gives relief speedily in this case; in the former 

 there is great danger of losing the sight by iilceration of the cornea. 



Larvae in the ear.— Dr. William C. Braislin sends us from Brooklyn, N. Y., speci- 

 mens of maggots taken from the ear of a patient suffering from acute suppuration 

 of the middle ear. They appear to belong to either Calliphora or Sarcophaga, and 

 are quite unlike the larva? of Lucilia macellaria and L. cwsar. The eggs are supposed 

 to have been laid three days before the larvae appeared; a supposition which, if it 

 has any foundation at all, indicates that the patient was aware of the oviposition of 

 the parent fly. 



Early and new appearance of the horn fly. — Mr. M. Tandy, of Hancock County, 

 111., writes us that the horn fly made its appearance in his vicinity about May 2, 

 1895. He believes this to be the first visitation in that particular locality. Mr. 

 John W. Mansfield, writing from Essex County, Mass., states that the fly was first 

 noticed in that neighborhood on the 7th of May. 



Mr. I. W. Nicholson, of Camden, writes that this insect appeared in New Jersey 

 earlier than ever before known. They were first observed April 30, and great annoy- 

 ance to stock was expected during the season. 



We have received specimens of this fly from Mr. A. L. Wilson, of Quincy, Fla., 

 who says that it first appeared there in 1893. 



Mr. W. W. Merriam sends us, under date of November 7, 1895, specimens of the 

 horn fly from Twin Oaks, San Diego County, Cal. He gives a good account of their 

 occurrence upon cattle, and inclines to the belief that they came on Texas stock. 



A man-infesting bot. — In May, 1896, we received from Mr. J. R. Swinerton, 

 manager of the Hotel Warwick, Newport News, Va., an cestrid larva taken from the 

 arm of a sailor at Newport News May 11. The sailor stated that he was stung by 

 an insect about six weeks previously in Brazil. The larva was nearly full grown 

 and was living when taken from the arm. It was light in color, but turned brown 

 and died before it was received in Washington. No further facts could be ascer- 

 tained, since, in the interval between the sending of the insect to Washington and 

 the receipt of a reply from this office, the man had disappeared. The larva was in 

 fairly good condition and was sent to Dr. R. Blanchard, in Paris, who wrote us under 

 dateof June 5 that it was Dermatobia eyaniventris, known as the "torcel" or "berne." 

 Dr. Blanchard's papers upon the (Estridae attacking human beings, in the Annales 

 de la Societe Entomologique de France for 1893-94, have shed a flood of light on this 

 interesting and important topic. 



An efficient flycatcher. — Mr. A. W. Butler, of Brookville, Ind., has sent us a 

 specimen of Bittacus pilicornis Westw., which he says was one of a number of speci- 

 mens which had attracted much attention at Brookville on account of their efficiency 

 as catchers of flies. August 26 about 20 of them were observed in the office of the 

 principal hotel in Brookville catching and killing flies. 



Habits of Comastes robustus. — Specimens of this interesting bombyliid fly, 

 which is a native of the Southwest, have been sent in by Messrs. M. B. Davis and 

 W. E. Armstrong from Waco, Tex. They captured it hovering above the entrance to 

 the nests of a species of Melissodes which has not yet been determined. It is likely 

 that the bee fly is parasitic in the nests of the Melissodes. 



A corn-feeding syrphid fly. — Mr. A. V. Sims sends us from Wenonda, Va., speci- 

 mens of the syrphid, Mesograpta polita, the corn- feeding habits of which are noted in 

 Insect Life, Vol. I, pp. 5-8. He reports it quite injurious to the corn crop. 



Damage to chufas by Cyrtoneurus mutabilis. — We have recently received from 



