D. Keilin 
447 
This observation does not seem to be complete, and very likely the Sarco- 
phagids hatched from pupae enclosed in some dead snails which he probably 
overlooked since he was dealing with a great number of these animals. 
Mik (1890, p. 153) stated that this Sarcophaga was obtained by Brischke 
from another Mollusc: Succinea sp. We know also that the larvae of this 
common and well known species have often been recorded from wounds and 
from the cavities of the mouth, nose, ears, etc., of different mammals. 
Sarcophaga sp. probably S. crassimargo Pand. The larvae of this species 
live upon dead Helicella virgata da Costa previously killed by Melinda cognata 
Meig. (see p. 443 of this paper). 
Sarcophaga haemorrhoa Meigen. According to Mik (1890, p. 153) this 
species was bred by Prof. Bertkau of Bonn, from a Helix hortensis found 
attached to a leaf and which he supposed to be still alive. Schmitz (1917, 
pp. 25-27) obtained this fly from a young Helix [nemoralis or hortensis) 
collected in a wood near Maastricht. 
Sarcophaga helicis Townsend. The first record regarding the life-history of 
this Sarcophagid is found in an interesting note by Townsend (1892, pp. 220- 
221) the main part of which I reproduce here: 
“I have recently received from Mr H. A. Surface, of the Ohio Experiment 
Station, a small Sarcophagid which he bred from Helix thyroides Say, while 
engaged on his catalogue of shells of Franklin County, published in Bulletin 2, 
Vol. 1, technical series, of that station. 
Mr Surface accompanies the specimen with the following note: ‘The snail 
was placed in a tight bottle August 25, in Warren County, Ohio, and during 
the first part of September the pupae were seen. From September 27 to 30 
five or six mature flies came forth.’ The fly proves to be a small species of 
Sarcophaga. After considerable time spent in looking over descriptions of 
North American species, I felt justified in considering it new.” 
According to Aldrich (1916, pp. 158-161) this species is one of the com¬ 
monest North American Sarcophagids, and was bred from different Insects. 
Numerous records of the life-history of this species were mentioned by Aldrich 
in his note on “The economic relations of the Sarcophagidae” (1915) and in the 
above quoted monograph on the “Sarcophaga and allies.” 
I will quote here the following passage from the latter monograph (p. 160): 
“It is very likely that the species breeds largely in dead insects, and some of 
the records were made without allowing for this possibility. However, the 
species is a true parasite in grasshoppers and in Eleodes, and probably quite 
often in Lepidoptera and other insects. With this element of uncertainty to 
be kept in mind, the following are the cases of rearing recorded for the material 
I have examined.” He then gives a full report on these cases, from which it 
is only necessary to mention that this fly was recorded from adult Corydalis 
cornuta, Cicada tibicen, Calosoma sp., Leucania unipuncta , adult Lachnosterna 
Parasitology xi 
29 
