149 



DIPTERA OF THE WARRINGTON DISTRICT. 



FIRST LIST 



(Consisting of Species named by the late Mr. R. H, Meade, F.R.C.S., 

 Mem. Soc. Entom. France). 



E. E. LOWE, 



Assistant-Curator, Warrington Museum. 



The following- 95 species of Diptera are part of those which 

 have fallen to my net during four years of intermittent collecting 

 in the Warring-ton district (as defined below). This list is of 

 necessity very meagre and imperfect, and the chief reason for 

 its publication lies in the fact that examples of all the species 

 included in it were named by the late Dr. Meade, of Bradford, 

 who was, until his lamented death on the 23rd December 1899, 

 our veteran dipterologist. With all students of British Diptera 

 I greatly regret his demise and shall sadly miss his generous 

 help. 



The Warrington district may be defined as consisting of 

 those portions of Lancashire and Cheshire which fall within 

 a radius of 15 miles from the town. This radius is taken in 

 order to include that locally famous collecting ground, Delamere 

 Forest. The district generally is fiat, with few interesting 

 geological features, the only hills I am acquainted with being 

 those of Overton in the direction of Chester. That part of 

 Cheshire falling within the prescribed radius is chiefly rich 

 farming and grazing land, but I have worked very little of it 

 save the afore-mentioned Delamere Forest. Though much 

 reduced of late years, this latter still contains man}- lino oak, 

 chestnut, and fir woods, with here and there a mere, the rank 

 vegetation of whose borders affords cover to multitudinous 

 insects. On the Lancashire side of the Mersey the country is 

 flat and dreary, with several manufacturing towns. The most 

 interesting features, from an entomologist's point of view, are 

 the quaking peat mosses extending from Warrington to Man- 

 chester. These are, in parts, covered with plantations of small 

 birches and firs, with here and there, in the drained portions, 

 a wood of fair-sized trees of the same kinds. Rixton Firs is 

 the name given to one of these woods lying about 4 1 miles 

 east of Warrington, and this has been my main collecting 

 ground in Lancashire. It will be easily seen that much of the 

 district remains to be worked, and I hope that this may be an 

 inducement to others to help in making up such a list ot local 



1900 May 1 . 



