Tin; YOUNG NATURALIST. 



188 



Next over the style, and into the wood, 

 where they begin to look at their "sugared" 

 trees, and where many beautiful insects re- 

 warded their labour. 



"Hallo!" says John, "what is this ? 

 Well, I thought it was a piece of rotten 

 stick." 



" Ah no ! it is a moth. It is Exolcta, box 

 it at once. '' 



The "sugared" trees were visited one 

 after the other, and moths were numerous. 

 Bye-and-by a sharp shower came on, after 

 which the insects really swarmed, and nearly 

 a score of different species were obtained, 

 including the beautiful black und green .V. 

 Apr Hi mi. 



"This is good," said John, as they were 

 returning home, " I am quite satisfied that we 

 shall have plenty of sport 'near home, and we 

 will try and make good use of it. Many 

 collectors rush off to distant collecting 

 grounds when they do not know half the 

 products of their own immediate neighbour- 

 hood." 



(To be continued.) 



NOTES ON COMMON 

 DIPTERA, 



By S. L. Moslj-v. 



II. GENUS BOMBYLIUS. 



I describe some members of this genus, 

 not because they are common, at 

 least I have not found them so. but because 

 of their interesting appearance, so different 

 from the generality of Diptera that a case 

 illustrative of that order would be incomplete 

 without one of the species. They have a 

 very general resemblance to a bee, and from 

 this reason are called Humble-bee Flies. 



In most Diptera the mouth part, or pro- 

 boscis, points downward, at right angles to i 

 the body, but in this genus it sticks straight 

 out in front, and is very long. The general 

 form may be seen by the accompanying | 



figure. The legs are rather long ; the body 

 and thorax covered with yellowish hair, the 

 same as a bee. The antenna- are six jointed, 

 the first two being covered with long hairs ; 

 the next joint is large, and the three at the 

 tip very small. I believe there are four 

 species, the two described below are the 

 most common, flying in woods, &c, in April 

 and May, and I think there is little doubt 

 that any person who is fortunate enough to 

 meet with a specimen of either of them will 

 be able, at once, to identify it. 



BoMr.YLIUS MEDICS. 



Nat. size. 



B. medius. — This species seems wrongly 

 named ; it is larger than major. The wings 

 are shaded with dark at the base, and along 

 two thirds of the cosla, there is also about 

 ten dark spots on each wing, chiefly at the 

 junction of the wing bones. 



Wing of B. major. 

 Four times natural size. 

 B. major. — This, as I have already stated, 

 is smaller than mediiiSi The above figure 

 shows the arrangement of the wing bones of 

 the genus, and will also serve to distinguish 

 the species of the genus from the last. The 

 dark portion of the wing is well defined, 

 and not shaded as in medius, besides there are 

 none of the spots characteristic of that 

 species. 



The other two species I have never seen, 

 they are smaller in size, and the wings are 

 clear. They are much rarer than those 

 described. 



