Insects, 



6175 



Again, " in investigations of the following nature," lemavlis MacLeay, 

 "it is not only advantageous, but necessary to begin from some fixed 

 and indisputable position. Now such I take to be the identity of the 

 insects termed in French Taon ; in Spanish Tavano ; in Italian Ta- 

 bano; and in Latin Tahanus. The Tabani are unfortunately insects 

 too common for their name to have been ever forgotten; and knowing 

 what the country people in France call Taons,we know the insects 

 which Pliny anciently termed Tabani. By comparing Pliny with 

 Aristotle, we find that he invariably translates the word /^l/u^' [c(ecutiens) 

 by the Latin name Tabanns ; and entomologists know well that this 

 Greek name is extremely appropriate to the modern Tabani or Taons, 

 which are so remarkable for their eyes, that a common species of 

 Chrysops has at the present day the trivial epithet coecutiens" * * * 

 A quotation from Aristotle proves not only that the oia-rpo; was not 

 the modem Q*]strus, but moreover that Aristotle could never have seen 

 a modern Qi^-strus attack cattle ; for had he seen it, he would most 

 assuredly have termed it oTnaQoKevpoi;. And yet he must have seen his 

 ola-Tpog about cattle ; for he states positively not only that the o'io-rpoi 

 pierce the hides of quadrupeds, but that they are armed with a strong 

 tongue, and are blood-suckers. Li both of these last respects, it is to 

 be observed, that they differ totally from the modern QEstrus, but per- 

 fectly agree (as M. Latreille has well said) with the Linnscan Tabani." 



Homer and ^Eschylus and ^Elian are further laid under contribution, 

 in proof of this position: "and in short," continues MacLeay, "when- 

 ever the tJLvco-^^ is distinguished from the olarpog, I take the former to be 

 either a Chrysops, or Haematopota,* or some insect near to them, and 

 the latter to be some species of the modern genus Tabanus, probably 

 the T bovinus, or * dun-fly,' whose power of agitating cattle I have 

 myself had occasion to witness. This last insect certainly appears to 

 be the Asilus and CEstrus of Virgil. That the poet's insect cannot be 

 identical with any modern GEstrus is clear from his describing it to be 

 in great plenty, and to be ^ acerba sonans.' Now the QEstrus Bovis is 

 everywhere very rare, and according to Mr. B. Clark, makes no noise. 

 The Oestrus Equi is also silent in flying, as I have rejieatedly myself 

 observed. So that neither of these insects can be that which is cele- 

 brated by Virgil, v\ hose description of the ability of the ancient o'la-rpog 



* " One circumstance which is inenlioned by ^lian respecting the jNIyops, namely, 

 that it makes a louder hum than the (Estrus, is perhaps against its identity with the 

 modern genus Hajuiatopota." 



