126 



THE YOUNG NATURAL I ST. 



For the benefit of those who, like myself, 

 desire to know more about this " neglected 

 order," I will describe a few species which 

 are comparatively common, which the student 

 will be able to take almost any season, 

 hoping it may induce some one to enter upon 

 the study of these interesting insects. Those 

 who are making educational collections such 

 as were described on p. 361, vol. i, will find 

 it an advantage to have their specimens 

 named, and for that purpose I may go on to 

 some other orders after I have given a few 

 short papers on the Diptera. 



I shall make no attempt at classification, 

 simply selecting the common species or those 

 interesting for their beauty or some other 

 peculiarity. 



For my knowledge of names I am greatly 

 indebted to Dr. Meade, of Bradford, who has 

 most obligingly determined any species I 

 have sent to him for that purpose. 



Diptera may at once be distinguished from 

 all other insects by their having only two 

 wings, generally clear, but sometimes dark, 

 or covered with dark markings, and the 

 family, or even thp genus may be determined 

 by the arrangement of the veins or wing- 

 bones. The hind wings are only represented 

 by two small knobs. 



THE GENUS MUSCA 

 May be known by their robust form, the thick 

 proboscis, which is soft and obtuse, and can 

 be retracted or propelled at pleasure. Walker 

 enumerates over 30 species. I append a 

 figure showing the arrangment of wing-bones. 



Wing of Muse a Vomitoria. 



M. dom est ica .—This is the common house 

 fly, and so abundant everywhere as to need 

 no description. 



M. vomitoria. — The common blue-bottle, or 

 blow fly, common everywhere, and also well- 

 known. There are two species of blue-bottle, 



I the present one may be known by having the 

 head clothed beneath with Yiddish tawny hairs, 

 and the wings tinged with brown at the base. 



M. erythvocephale the other species, has 

 the hairs beneath the head black, and the 

 wings grey. 



M. Ccesar and Corhicina. — Green-bottle flies. 



I These two speciesare very closely allied. The 

 body and thorax are shining bluish, or golden 

 green; eyes brown, and legs and antennae 

 black. Casar varies in expanse from 6 to 10 



I lines, while Curnicina only varies from 7 to 9. 

 The front of the head in Ccesar is covered with 



I white tomentum in front, and the palpi are 



! tawny. In Cornicina the tomentum is silvery 

 and the palpi black. I have taken both species 

 on the window, and found them under stones in 



1 quarries, in the Autumn, when seeking D. 



I Templi. 



M. C or v i n a. --Thi s is about the size of the 

 common house fly. The antennae and legs 

 are black, eyes brown, with a stripe of silvery 

 i tomentum underneath in front ; thorax black 

 j with hoary tomentum, and four black stripes, 

 1 broader in the male than the female. Body 

 I brown, with base and line down the middle 

 black, and covered with longer hairs. 



(To be continued.) 



THE FOUR SEASONS: 



A Story from the Book of Nature. 

 By Lucy Feux. 



Chap. IX. 



AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 



Thus day after day was pleasantly spent in 

 the New Forest ; one would be devoted to 

 i searching the trunks of trees for the smaller 

 : moths; another to beating for larvae; 

 ' another to pupae digging. Then a night 

 j would be spent in " Denny Wood," or some 

 i of the enclosures near Lyndhurst, sugaring 

 for the glorious " crimson underwings." 

 Then they would have a day on "Parley 



