Jan., 1904 .] On Diptcra of the Family Ephydridae. 
63 
ON DIPTERA OF THE FAMILY EPHYDRIDAE. 
James S. Hine. 
The literature on this famil}-, so far as Xorth American forms 
are concerned, is accessible to most students. In Monograph of 
X. A. Diptera, 1862, I, 129-172, and in Zeitschr. f. d. Ges. 
Xaturw., 1878, LI, 192-203, Loew gives the results of his 
studies. In Berliner Entom. Zeitschrift, 1896, XLI, 91-276, 
Becker fully treats the European species, and it is necessary to 
refer to this work for a consideration of the species common 
to the two countries. Williston has described a number 
of species in Xorth American Fauna, 1893, VII, 257-258, and in 
Diptera of St. Ahncent, 1899, 389-404. The same author 
furnishes a contribution to the life history of one of the species 
and describes the adult of Ephydra californica Packard in Trans. 
Conn. Acad., 1883, VI, 83-86. Coquillett has published several 
papers in which new genera and species are described as follows : 
Ent. Xews, 1896, VII, 220; Can. Entom., 1899, XXXI, 8; 
Diptera of Puerto Rico, 1900, 259-262; Can. Entom., 1900, 
XXXII, 33-36 ; Diptera from the Harriman Ala.ska Expedition, 
1900, 461-462 ; Journal X. Y. Ent. Soc. 1902, X, 182- 184. 
W’heeler has reviewed the genus Octhera and described one new 
species in Ent. X'ews, 1896, VII, 121-123. Howard has given 
a full account of Psilopa petrolei Coquillett, found breeding in 
crude petroleum in California, in Scientific American, 1899, 
LXXX, 75-76. 
One who collects Dijrtera in marshes or along streams is likely, 
sooner or later, to become interested in the numerous species of 
this famil}’. Among the various water plants that grow in the 
marshes at Sandusk}", one finds them plentiful, and some of the 
forms are the most numerous of all insects during at least a part 
of the summer. P'rom a row-boat one can see them running over 
lily pads, wild rice and other foliage, but the}* are difficult to 
capture, since they are very active and fly away before the 
cyanide bottle can be placed over them, or if one uses a net he 
has to strike so low that it is ahno.st impossible to prevent dipping 
it in the w'ater, and by .so doing spoil the specimens he succeeds 
in entrapping. After a little experience the collector is led to 
realize that the specimens running over foliage are trifling with 
him. Better results may be obtained by collecting from flowers 
of water lilies. Locate one of these flowers and place the hand 
gently over its top in such a way as to entrap the flies that are 
feeding on its nectar ; then without gripping tightly enough to 
crush the flower and with it the entrapped imsects, pull it from its 
]ieduncle and drop into a wide-mouthed cyanide bottle prepared 
for the purpose. This is the most desirable method I have ever 
