Meade : On Parasitic Diptera. 



167 



our " big " county. We have unlimited scope, with only limited 

 interest — the harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few." 

 During the year 1878 I have many new county insects to report, of 

 which I have made a careful list, but I shall be obliged to refrain 

 from giving it here, as it is already sent to the " Transactions." 



Now, I should leave a cloud on the horizon of my conscience if this 

 paper were to be closed without my giving a dig in the ribs of (what 

 shall I call them ?) those stingy, meaningless individuals who perti- 

 naciously and miserly stick to odd specimens which they come across, 

 without knowing or seeking to know their names. They are of no 

 earthly use to them unless as a study, but the insect is appropriated 

 and the study ignored. Let them rather send them to some person 

 who collects the order, or send them for purposes of identification and 

 record. Or, again, if they go upon the " penny saved, penny gained," 

 or " thing of beauty " principle, and don't like to part with the insect, 

 I would ask them to obtain a name for it, and duly record it in some 

 such medium as our own Naturalist. For my own part I shall be 

 most happy to send back all specimens forwarded to me, and have to 

 thank most sincerely Messrs. Porritt, Roebuck, Mosley, Carter, 

 Smethurst and others, for their great kindness in this respect. 



In conclusion, I would remind such (un)naturalists as those I have 

 alluded to, that upon the back of one of our scientific magazines there 

 exists a couple of lines which it would be well if they learnt off by 

 heart, viz : — 



" By mutual confidence and mutual aid, 

 Great deeds are done, and great discoveries made." 



Woodland Mount, Huddersfield. 



ON PARASITIC DIPTERA. 



By R. H. Meade. 



The flies which live in the larval state within the bodies of the larvae 

 of other insects which they eat and slowly destroy are very little 

 known even by dipterists. They are very numerous in species, but 

 few individually, and are therefore not very frequently seen. They 

 are mostly found upon flowers, for though so destructive to other 

 insects while larv^, they are perfectly harmless in the imago state ; 

 their mouths then being only adapted for sip|)ing sweets. In their 

 turn, however, they now sometimes get killed by other flies : for 

 instance, I once captured a specimen of Asilus (a highly voracious fly) 

 which had a female Trixa oestroides in its clutches. 



