359 
The Natural History of the Blistering Fly. 
Notwithstanding the very interesting Essays of Fabricius 
and Olivier on the blistering fly, we have hitherto had such an im- 
perfect idea of the natural history of this insect in this country, 
that we cannot help thinking a complete description of it will not 
be unacceptable to our readers. For our details we are particularly 
indebted to a very excellent memoir on this animal by M. Andouin, 
which was lately read before the Royal Institute of France. At 
present we shall confine ourselves to the descriptive anatomy, and 
at a future period lay before our readers the physiology. 
These insects are to be found chiefly in the south of Europe, in 
Greece, China, India, North and South America. 
The jaws are strong, and similar to one another. When looked 
at in their natural position they appear to terminate in a point, 
which is, in fact, however, the profile of a cutting lamina. They 
have no teeth, but there is at the base a circular tubercle, which 
is flat, and rests on another of the same form. The jaws are in 
part horny and in part membranous, formed of several pieces, hav- 
ing the inner side divided into two membranous lobes covered 
with hairs. Their external surface supports a covering with four 
joints. 
The first is very short, the second and third nearly equal, the 
last larger, more elongated, and oval. * The inferior lip is also 
composed of several pieces, which, instead of being distinct and 
articulated with one another, are united by a sort of common 
membrane, pretty firm, and even horny in several points. There 
are only three joints here ; the first small, the second longer, the 
third short and truncated. 
With regard to the thorax, it differs in no respect from the order 
of coleoptera. 
The anterior part of the thorax is small, square, and not so 
large as the abdomen ; the webs are long and flexible, covering the 
membranous and transparent wings. The feet are smooth and 
thin, with thread-like tarsi, covered on the lower surface with 
woven hairs, and terminated by a double pair of horny hooks, 
long and much curved. There are five joints in the tarsi of the 
two inferior feet, and four only on the posterior. Each of the 
feet of the female cantharis has, at the junction of the leg and 
tarsus, two small moveable spinous processes. In the male, the 
same thing exists in the posterior pair ; but in the anterior, instead 
of two spinous processes on the sides, there is but one, which is, 
however, strong, compressed, sharp, and placed on the median line. 
Independent of the brain, which is bilobed, there are eight gan- 
