318 



adult flies bred from bots taken from cottontails in southern Xew 

 Mexico. 



On July 27, 1892, a young cottontail was sliot near the G Bar Eancli, 

 in the canon of the Zuni Eiver, Arizona. A large and nearly full- 

 grown bot was taken from it on the dorsum at the root of the tail. 

 After immersion in strong alcohol from that date until October IG, 1892^ 

 it was measured and found to be 26'"'^^ long by 16. 5""™ wide (6th seg- 

 ment). 



On October 15, 1892, two cottontails were shot north of Doiia Ana, 

 N. Mex., and each one found to contain two bots. One of the cotton- 

 tails was a young one. The bots in the younger rabbit were located, 

 one in the left dorsal region and the other in the dorsal region of the 

 spine ; in the other rabbit, one in the left pectoral region and the other 

 in the ventral region of the abdomen near the median line. Each lay 

 in a separate cyst, Trhich opened to the outside by a small round hole 

 through the skin. The bots keep the anal segment inserted in this ori- 

 fice, thus procuring air through the anal stigmata. Two or three of the 

 bots seemed to be of nearly full size. After a ride horseback of about 

 seven miles, during which time the rabbits were carried in the pocket 

 of a hunting coat, they were taken out, and one bot was found to have 

 escaped from each rabbit. These two escaped bots were found in the 

 pocket of the coat. They measured, alive, from 28'"'" to 30'""' or more in 

 length and 13'""' to 11'""' in width (6th segment). As they were to all 

 appearances nearly or quite full grown, a glass jar of earth was pre- 

 pared and they were placed therein. Both bots immediately began to 

 bury themselves in the earth and in the space of about ten minutes were 

 entirely buried and out of sight. By placing the ear to the mouth of the 

 jar it was distinctly evident that they were burying themselves still 

 deeper. The earth in the jar was nearl}^ four inches in depth, and the 

 next morning, or about ten hours after they had begun to bury them- 

 selves, they were still heard to be moving. On the evening of this day 

 one was found to have reached the bottom of the jar. 



The other two bots, which had remained in the rabbits, were ex- 

 tracted and placed in alcohol. One of them was but little smaller than 

 the above two, while the other was still smaller and of a general 

 lighter more rufous color. The three larger bots were of a general 

 blackish color, from the darker color of the numerous horny spined 

 plates of the integument. The two smaller ones measured alive 27™^^ 

 and 22°^"^ long, by 13°^"^ and ll"^'" wide (6th segment). It was noticed 

 that these bots remained alive for a long time after immersion in alco- 

 hol. The lighter one was still alive and moving in the alcohol the next 

 morning, ten hours afterward. After these two were about dead and 

 curved into their usual position, they measured 25™™ and 20™™ long by 

 11™™ and 12™™ wide. 



The jar of earth containing the two live bots was sunken in a wooden 

 box of earth, and placed on the flat roof of an adobe house, where it 



