THE BEE-FLIES. 
603 
a whitish line along the top of the hind body. Besides 
these flies, we have several more kinds 
of Tabanus, some of which do not appear 
to have been described. These blood- 
thirsty insects begin to appear towards 
the end of June, and continue through 
the summer, sorely tormenting both 
horses and cattle with their sharp bites. Their proboscis, 
though not usually vciy long, is armed with six stiff and ex- 
ceedingly sharp needles, wherewith they easily pierce through 
the toughest hide. It is stated that they will not touch a 
horse whose back has been well washed with a strong de- 
coction of walnut-leaves. The eyes of these flies are very 
beautiful, and vary in their colors and markings in the dif- 
ferent species. 
The golden-eyed forest-flies are also distinguished for the 
brilliancy of their spotted eyes, and for their clouded or 
banded wings. They are much smaller than the horse- 
flies, but resemble them in their habits. Some of them 
are entirely black (Chrysops ferrugatus, Fabricius 2 ), others 
are striped with black and yellow ( Chrysops vittatus, Wiede- 
mann). They frequent woods and thickets, in July and 
August. 
The bee-flies, or Bombylians (Bomuyliaile), have a very 
slender proboscis, sometimes exceeding the length of their 
body. They are met with in sunny paths in the woods, 
in April and May. They fly with great swiftness, stop 
suddenly every little while, and, balancing themselves with 
their long, horizontal spread wings, seem to hang suspended 
in the air. They often hover, in this way, over the early 
flowers, sucking out the honey thereof, like humming-birds, 
with their long bills. Our largest bee-fly is the Bombylius 
[ 2 Chrysops ferrugatus , Fab., is a Tabanus , and not a Chrysops. Besides, it has 
much more ferruginous and cinereous than black in its coloring (compare its de- 
scription in Wicd. Auss. Zw., Vol. I. p. 186). Dr. Harris means probably the 
Chrysops niger , Meig, which, next to C. vittatus , Wied., is the common Chrysops 
of this country. — Osten Sacken.] 
Fig. 262. 
