319 



remained iiudistnrbed through the winter. A piece of muslin was tied 

 firmly over the mouth of the jar, and the latter was protected from 

 heavy rains and snowfalls, Avhen these occurred, by a tin lid or cover 

 placed over it. The cover was left oft' during fine weather, which gen- 

 erally prevailed. In this manner very little moisture was allowed to 

 reach the earth in the jar. On the 11th of May, 1893, two dead hot 

 flies were found on the surface of the earth in the jar. They had issued 

 sometime during the previous Aveek or ten days, since that was the last 

 time the jar had been examined. It was expected that they Avould 

 l)robably issue about the first of June. 



A study of these flies, which were in i)erfect condition, shows that 

 they are, without doubt, Cuterebra fontinella Clark. This species was 

 originally described from Illinois, where it was known to infest rabbits 

 (see Brauer, Monogr. QEstridiC, p. 242). Since the description given by 

 Brauer , which I take to be merely Clark's original description transcribed, 

 is rather brief and indefinite, I present the following descrix)tion of the 

 above speciinens: 



Cuierehm fontinella Clk. $ .— LeDgth of body, 20.5"'"^ to 21"""; width of abdomen, 

 9'""^ to 9.5"""; widtb of thorax, 9""" or a little more; width of head, 8™'" to 8.25'"'"; 

 length of wing, 16"^-'" to 16.25""". Front about seven-sixteenths width of head at ver- 

 tex, grayish black, scantily grayish hairy, with two whitish triangular markings on 

 anterior eye margin, the lower one elongate and extended in a line nearly to base of 

 antennai ; these leave two larger transverse glabrous shining black areas. Anten- 

 na and arista grayish. Facial depression silvery, base with blackish lower border, 

 the black of the latter descending in one specimen in a median line on the closely 

 approximated and soldered facial ridges. Whole of sides of face, cheeks, oral 

 region, in fact all of head below antennae, covered with a yellowish white bloom and 

 clothed with whitish hairs, the oral region especially hairy ; two small black spots 

 on cheeks, one next lower margin of eye, and the other well removed therefrom 

 toward oral slit. Dorsum of thorax and scutellum grayish black, short, and finely 

 black hairy. Whole under surface of thorax, with sides of thorax both above, below, 

 and anterior to wing bases, and continued completely around edge of scutellum, 

 thickly yellowish white hairy; three black spots on side of thorax, the upper one 

 hairy. Abdomen black, with a bluish or purplish luster, rather thickly clothed 

 with short and fine black hairs ; inferior lateral edges with regions of grayish bloom 

 containing blackish spots, in one specimen continued faintly on sides of abdomen in 

 places. Restoring the color of the abdomen with chloroform shows this grayish 

 bloom, with the circular black spots, to extend in both specimens upon sides of abdo- 

 men and dorsum of last two segments, or even in places on dorsum of second seg- 

 ment. Legs blackish, inferior surface with more or less of a grayish bloom, espe- 

 cially on femora and tibiai. Wings, teguh'e, and alula? fuscous or smoky, the aluhe 

 very prominently approximated to sides of scutellum when wings are closed over 

 abdomen. 



Described from two specimens bred from larvtne taken from Lepus 

 artemisia (!), the common cottontail of the lower Eio Grande region in 

 New Mexico. A somewhat larger specimen of this species was sent to 

 me from Colorado by Prof. Gillette. It is 22'"'" in length, and the wing 

 is 18'^"\ It diflers but little from the two bred specimens. The gla- 

 brous black areas on lower sides of front show more plainly, the poste- 

 rior o-ne extending back nearly to vertex. A wide frontal vitta is appar- 



