89 
on the CEstri and Cuterebrae of various Animals. 
in a way that seems to require some remark, in the 2nd edition of the ‘Regne 
Animal, the joint production of himself and Cuvier, tome v. p. 499, where he 
gives a tolerable view of this family, derived chiefly from my labours, and 
afterwards, at page 503, enters on an enumeration of the species. On the sub¬ 
ject of the (2i,.Equi, although quoting my work, he omits altogether my account 
of the manner of their depositing their eggs on the knees of the horse, although 
a most singular and interesting fact. Proceeding to the (E. hcemorrhoidalis, 
he omits the circumstance of their eggs being deposited on the chin and beard 
of the horse, and next passing to the CE. veterinus , he renews the old and erro¬ 
neous tale which was formerly attached to the CE. hcemorrhoidalis , of its de¬ 
positing its eggs on the margin or verge of the anus. 
We may perhaps, at this point of our review, consider a little the strange 
proposition first started by Pallas, of there being in nature such a thing as a 
proper human CEstrus, which has since been maintained by others. For the 
honour of human nature I utterly discredit any such thing, as that the lord of 
the creation, walking erect and clothed from head to foot, and carrying if he 
pleases all sorts of offensive or defensive weapons, should be the natural ob¬ 
ject of attack of a large winged insect, pursuing and dodging him, for the 
purpose too of making him the subject of maintenance of its future offspring. 
The facts which appeared to favour such a doctrine are easily explained, I 
apprehend, by the eagerness and solicitude of the parent fly to find a suitable 
opportunity of depositing its eggs, which induces it to resort, in the absence 
of the proper nidus, to the next best object that presents itself, and if it finds 
a man fast asleep and with any part of his body exposed, he will certainly 
become the object of its infliction, nor is this to be much wondered at. 
But would it not be quite absurd, from such an error loci, to argue that this 
was the legitimate office and operation primarily intended by the Creator ? 
Almost as well might we imagine the sea to be the proper habitat of the 
dragon-fly, because Berkenhout says he took one on that element three or 
four leagues from land ; or, on finding a Cimex rufpes on a gentleman’s bag- 
wig in Fleet Street, as he says he did, to give this as the natural habitat of 
that species. 
Most certain, however, it is, that the CEstri and Cuterebrce, if disappointed 
of their natural nidus for deposit, and impelled by hard necessity, will find out 
