628 
DIPTERA. 
larva lives in the watery tissue of the swathing leaves round the stem of 
plantain-trees and under sissoo bark, and is remarkable for the pattern 
of its posterior spiracles. The larvae of this fly were utilised by a native 
‘ ‘ doctor ’ ’ at Pusa in a rather interesting way. The man has a 
considerable reputation in the district, due to his success in curing 
cases of tooth-ache and similar ills. A violent attack of tooth-ache 
(simulated for the occasion) gave an excuse for requiring his services. 
The treatment consisted in rattling a small stick round the patient’s 
mouth ; the operator’s unemployed hand (closed) meanwhile rested above 
a cloth spread on the patient’s knees ; at the psychological moment the 
hand quietly opened and the patient’s attention was then directed to the 
fact that the maggots which had been the cause of his pain were success¬ 
fully removed and lay exposed on the cloth. The operator added that 
he believed one obstinate maggot still remained in the tooth, and that 
this would probably necessitate a repetition of the treatment at a later 
date. Similar but rather less crude methods are adopted by Chinese 
practitioners in the neighbourhood of Bombay. They pretend to suck 
out the maggots from the affected part, using a small bamboo tube. 
Through the kindness of Captain Liston and Dr. Surveyor I got an 
opportunity of examining some of these maggots, and found them to 
be Cecidomyiids, apparently from galls. 
Celyphxm. 
Scutellum immensely enlarged, covering the wings and abdomen. 
Antennce long, arista -flattened. 
These insects, owing to the remarkable size of the scutellum, look 
very unlike flies, and have more the appearance of small round-backed 
beetles. The scutellum and general surface of the body is smooth, with 
a more or less metallic coloration, and this increases the resemblance. 
The structure of the antennae and of the abdomen is also curious. 
The flies appear to be not uncommon in some parts of the plains and are 
generally found among grass. Nothing at all is known of their life- 
history, or of the advantages, whether protective or otherwise, of their 
extraordinary structure. 
Four species are recorded from India, all belonging to the genus 
Celyphus. PL LXVII, fig. 6, represent Celyphus fuscipes, Mq. 
