THE BLUE-BOTTLE FLY. 87 
it is a scale like appendage—the tegulw. The 
abdomen is short and broad at the base, and composed 
of five segments. 
2. Specific characters.—Four species of blue-bottle are 
found in New Zealand. They can be thus distin- 
guished :— 
Third joint of antenne yellow—C. antennatus. 
. 5, dark coloured. 
Palpi dark coloured—C. hortona. 
» yellow 
Large, eyes hairy—C. quadrimaculata. 
Small, eyes smooth—(C, tcela. 
3. Internal Structure.—The best way to examine the 
internal structure of insects 1s to imbed them in wax 
or plaster of Paris. A small tray large enough to 
hold the insect should be made with stiff paper ; this 
should be filled with melted bees-wax, or plaster of 
Paris, and while soft the insect should be pressed 
into it so that it is half buried. This holds the 
insect very firm and prevents the organs getting dis- 
placed when cutting the integument, but as it takes 
some time, it will be sufficient for an ordinary exam1- 
nation, to hold the fly down on a cork by pins, or 
weights on the wings. 
4, Steadying the insect with a finger of the left hand, cut 
open the abdomen, along each side, from the apex to 
the base. Raise the dorsal part of the integument 
with the forceps and cut it off at the base. On each 
side of the abdomen will be seen the reproductive 
organs. In the female, which is by far the more 
common, the ovaries are very conspicuous bundles of 
yellowish-white opaque tubes; in the male, the testes 
are reddish brown, and not so conspicuous. In the 
centre of the abdomen lie the transparent white coils 
