Chapter V: Part II: The Balæna Whales, or Whales with Whalebone (1)

In February 1834 a young whale of the family of Balæna Whales was caught near the Queensferry, in the Firth of Forth. One much larger had been seen some time before, but escaped. I purchased it for dissection, although I was aware that it was impossible for me, during the hurry of the winter session, to devote much time to it. But I had able assistants (Mr. Henry Goodsir, Mr. Edward Forbes, and my brother), from whom I expected a good deal of aid. Some very beautiful drawings of this whale, made for me by Mr. Edward Forbes and by my brother, are still in my possession.

It was easy to see, by the dorsal fin and by the numerous plaits or folds on the abdominal surface of the throat and chest, before any dissection, that the specimen was a young Balænopterous whale, differing in a great many points from the true whale or _Mysticetus_: for, 1st, the form of the head was entirely different; 2nd, it had a dorsal fin; and, 3rd, occupying the lower surface of the throat and thorax were numerous folds of the integuments. To this class of whales I have been in the habit of giving the name of Rorqual, to distinguish them from the other class of Whalebone Whales, the _Mysticetus_ both _borealis_ and _australis_.

It appears from my notes, that at that time M. G. Cuvier considered the species I now describe as identical with the Great Rorqual I had described about two years previously; but I felt convinced then, as now, that they form distinct species, and in this opinion some continental anatomists seem to coincide.

Being persuaded that there was some inaccuracy in former drawings of the species, I had the specimen suspended and drawn with great care by Mr. Edward Forbes. This position explained the mechanism of the mouth, showing its great size, even in the short Balæna Whales; its great capacity in the _Mysticetus_ had never been doubted.

As to the species, the conclusion I arrived at was, that the specimen belonged to that termed by Fabricius _rostrata_, and that individuals of the species had been seen by John Hunter, Sir James Watson, and Fabricius.

_Measurements._ ft. in.

Total length of the specimen 9 11
Circumference immediately behind the pectoral extremities 5 2
Circumference where the folds or rugæ terminated 4 8-1/4
Ditto of the tail at its origin 1 5-1/2
Length from the back fin to the setting on of the tail 2 10
Length from the snout to the ear 3 0
Length from snout to nostrils 1 4
Length of lower jaw 2 3
Length of arm; inner side 1 3
Length from the angle of the mouth to the arm 1 3
Length from snout to arm 2 9
Length of tail in depth 0 11
Length of back fin at the base 0 8
Height of back fin 0 8-1/2
From top to tip of tail 2 8-1/2
Stomach:--1st compartment, in length 1 2
2nd compartment, in length 1 4
3rd compartment, in length 0 8
4th compartment, in length 0 7
5th compartment, in length 0 3
Spleen weighed 4 ounces; its length was 0 5
Liver, 9 lbs.
Small intestines, length 20 0
Large intestines, length 2 4
Kidney, weight 2-1/4 lbs.
Brain (including 2 inches of spinal marrow), 3-1/2 lbs.
Cerebellum, pons, and 2 inches of spinal marrow, 3/4 lb.
Great hemisphere of the brain measured 3 inches in
length, in breadth, 6-1/2; at the base, 8 inches.
Tuber annulare 0 1-2/8
Olfactory nerves, in length 0 1-1/2
Ditto, breadth 0 2-1/2
Skeleton:--Length of cranium 2 11
Greatest breadth between the orbits 1 3
Length of vertebral column 7 8

When we compare the skeleton of this Rorqual with the Gigantic Rorqual I also dissected, we find as follows:--

_R. giganteus._ _R. minor._

Cervical vertebræ 7 vertebræ 7
Dorsal 15 11
Lumbar, sacral, caudal 43 30
-- --
65 48

These differences must be specific.

At the extremity of the snout in either jaw there were 8 strong bristles, being the only vestiges of hair found on the external surface. The mouth was of great size; the tongue large and tolerably free, and of a pale rose or vermilion colour. The baleen, where deepest, measured about 4 inches; there were 370 plates on each side; but anteriorly and posteriorly these plates were reduced to mere bristles.

The isthmus faucium allowed the closed hand to pass through it; through this isthmus I do not believe that any water ever passes into the pharynx, unless it be accidentally, as in man. The "spout" of the Whalebone Whale is composed, no doubt, of the pulmonary vapour, and not of any water received into the pharynx from the mouth.

The stomach seemed composed of five compartments externally, but presented only four when laid open, the fifth being manifestly the duodenum. In the intestines no remains of food were found, but abundance of intestinal worms, and a substance strongly resembling the human meconium. There was an ilio-cæcal valve as distinct as in man. In the rectum the folds of the mucous membrane were transverse.

_Organs of Respiration_.--The external nostrils were double; and the cavities of the nostrils provided with the remarkable cartilages and muscular apparatus I discovered and described in the anatomy of the Great Rorqual. In this specimen they were about 4 inches in length, but of as many feet in the large Rorqual. The mode of breathing in the Rorquals does not differ much from that in man, with the exception of the apparatus of the protruding cartilages, which in man are rudimentary.

The _Olfactory Nerves_ were quite as large as in other mammals; and in this respect the Balæna Whales are quite unlike the Dolphins[E].

The trachea communicated, near its upper part, with a sac or pouch; the lungs were each composed of a single lobe. The rings of the trachea were mostly deficient anteriorly. In the heart the foetal arrangements had wholly disappeared. The dura mater seemed divisible into three layers, the external being vascular. A remarkable vascular substance connected with this layer covers the back part of the brain and cerebellum, extending into the spinal canal, and even into the chest. At the base of the brain the vascular plexus was about 2 inches in thickness. It is, as is well known, a sort of erectile tissue, of whose functions we are wholly ignorant. It is not confined to this course, but extends to the neck, and, passing through the foramina intervertebralia, fills the intercostal spaces exterior to the pleura.

There was evidently a canal in the centre of the spinal marrow. Wherever the nerves of the lungs and stomach were traced, they terminated in loops. We did not observe in the Great Rorqual any tracheal pouch like that in the smaller; but it may have escaped notice: if absent in the Great Rorqual, it would be another proof of the distinctness of the species.

The doubts raised by M. St. Hilaire, as to the Whale being a mammal in the true sense of the term, were set aside long ago by an appeal to facts. The young of the Whale tribe suckle like the young of all mammals; nevertheless I showed, in 1834, that the lactiferous glands in the _Balænopteræ_ differ in structure from the same organs in most mammals.

I do not find in my notes anything to add to the description of the Great Rorqual already published in the 'Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh' for 1827, to which I beg leave to refer the reader.

A single remark must be added regarding the nature of the vascular plexus which, in the Cetacea, surrounds the spinal marrow, and extends into the chest. On selecting the artery which seemed to form the plexus, which was, if I rightly recollect, in this instance an intercostal artery, and dissecting it under water, I found, to my surprise, that the artery, so long as I followed it, never gave off any branches, but continued of the same calibre throughout, making innumerable flexuosities or turnings. Thus, on a plexiform mass of this kind being cut across, the first impression is, that a great number of arterial branches or arteries have been divided, whilst in fact the entire plexus seems to be formed of one artery.

As was to be expected of animals so much withdrawn from human observation, there is but little to say on the natural history of the Cetacea properly so called. Their food, no doubt, is various, and seems to have little or no relation to the character of their dentition. The enormous Cachalot, with its vast teeth implanted only in one jaw, is generally understood to prey chiefly on the Cuttlefish. The food of the true Whale, or _Mysticetus_, is well known to be the Clio and other smaller Mollusca, with which certain regions of the ocean abound; the same, or similar, is probably the food of the more active and restless Rorquals, found in both hemispheres. The Dolphins, or Toothed Whales, generally prey, no doubt, on fishes of various kinds; yet, even as regards these, it has been proved by my esteemed friend, the late Mr. Henry Goodsir, that some of the largest, following in the wake of the herring shoals, prey not on these, but on the various microscopic food (the Entomostraca and other marine animals) which I was the first to prove to be the natural food of many excellent gregarious freshwater fish, as the Vendace, Early Loch Leven Trout, the Brown Trout of the Highland and Scottish lakes generally, and of the Herring itself[F]. It is scarcely necessary to add, that the complex apparatus connected with the exterior nostrils of the Dolphins is wholly wanting in the Balæna Whales,--a fact of which M. Cuvier was not aware when he wrote his celebrated Treatise on Comparative Anatomy.

_Appendix_.--Since writing the above, I have received an answer to a letter I addressed to my friend, John Goodsir, Esq., Professor of Anatomy in the University of Edinburgh. The request contained in my letter to Mr. Goodsir was, to examine for me the skeleton of a foetal _Mysticetus_ now in the University Museum. The foetus from which this skeleton was prepared was removed from the uterus of the mother, killed in the North Seas by the seamen of a whaling ship, by one of my former students, Mr. R. Auld, who presented the specimen to me. The point at issue was the composition of the cervical vertebræ in the true or Greenland Whale, the _Balæna Mysticetus_. M. Van Beneden, to whose memoir I have referred in the commencement of this, says, on the authority of Eschricht, that at no age whatever do we find in true Whales (meaning, I presume, the _Mysticetus borealis_ and _australis_) any distinct vertebræ in the cervical region, as in other mammals. A fusion of all into one bone or cartilage seems to take place even in the youngest foetus. Now, I had enjoyed the rare opportunity of dissecting the foetus of the _Mysticetus_, and I knew that the skeleton, prepared with the greatest care, was still preserved in the Museum of the University of Edinburgh. I wrote to Mr. Goodsir to re-examine this point for me, for I did not find in my notes any confirmation of the observations of Eschricht. Mr. Goodsir's reply to my note is as follows:--

"University, Edinburgh,
Sept. 30, 1857.

"MY DEAR SIR,

"In the skeleton of the foetal _Mysticetus_ now in the University Museum, the bodies of the axis and atlas have shrivelled up together, having evidently consisted of cartilage only; but the bodies of the five posterior cervical vertebræ are beautifully distinct, having well-formed osseous centres, which give them more of the configuration of the succeeding vertebral bodies than they present in their compressed form in the adult.

"The neural arches in the cervical region of this skeleton are five in number; the two anterior, which are distinctly those of the atlas and axis, have an osseous nodule on each side, where the transverse processes pass off. The third arch belongs to the third vertebra, the fourth and fifth to the sixth and seventh. These three arches are cartilaginous, and present no osseous centres. It is impossible to determine from the preparation whether the arches of the fourth and fifth vertebræ had been cut away in dissecting the parts, or whether they have shrivelled up in drying; but as the skeleton was very carefully prepared, and as these two arches are deficient (at least laterally) in the adult _Mysticetus_, I presume that the cartilaginous matrices were at least extremely delicate in the foetus.

"I believe I have stated all the facts, afforded by this skeleton, which bear upon your questions. They appear to me to afford no support to the views to which they refer.

"Yours very sincerely,
(Signed) "JOHN GOODSIR."

The conclusion I arrived at is this,--that the actual number of cervical vertebræ in the _Mysticetus_ is, as in most other mammals, seven, and that, notwithstanding their earlier fusion, they are originally quite distinct.

FOOTNOTES:

[C] It is stated that some of the last of these are of wood. The skeleton in Edinburgh is perfect.

[D] "The substance of the brain is more visibly fibrous than I ever saw it in any other animal, the fibres passing from the ventricles as from a centre to the circumference, which fibrous texture is also continued through the cortical substance."--HUNTER, "On Whales," 'Animal Economy,' Palmer's edit. p. 373.

[E] In his paper "On the Structure of Whales" (Phil. Trans. 1787), Hunter remarks that the organ of smell "is peculiar to the large and small Whalebone Whales." He further remarks, that, "in those that have olfactory nerves, the lateral ventricles are not continued into them as in many quadrupeds;" and he notices "the want of the olfactory nerves in the genus of the Porpoise."--'Anim. Economy,' Palmer's edit. pp. 372, 373, 376.

[F] See Memoirs in the 'Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh' for 1832.

Extract of a Letter from Dr. BAIKIE to Sir JOHN RICHARDSON, M.D., C.B., F.R. & L.S., dated 29th October, 1857, Rabba, on the Qworra.

[Read January 21st, 1858.]

"In natural history my collection is advancing, especially in skins and skeletons of birds. I am collecting skulls of all the domesticated animals, and skeletons of the sheep and goats. I have got a few fish, including a prettily-marked _Diodon_ or _Tetraodon_, probably new, and a _Myletes_ which I did not meet with formerly. The _Siluridæ_ are the most abundant fishes; and one species closely resembles the _Hypophthalmus_, figured by Rüppell in his 'Fishes of the Nile and Red Sea.' I have not met with another Polypterus. I shall get a _Lepidosiren_ in the river, and have heard of an electrical fish, I believe a _Malopteruris_, such as I formerly found. I enclose two scales of a fish which is said to grow to the length of 5 feet, but of which I have specimens half that size only,--also a sketch of a curious fish 2-1/2 feet, which I put into spirits; it has neither ventral nor anal fins, a very peculiar caudal, and a slender head, while the dorsal extends along the whole back; eyes very small; teeth numerous and hard, but not sharp." He adds, in a postscript, that he had got the _Lepidosiren_. He had collected 700 species of plants, and numerous fine fruits, which he says "will rejoice Sir William Hooker's heart."

Dr. Baikie's postscript, however, mentions that his vessel had been wrecked about twelve miles above Lagos, and that she sunk in a few minutes after she struck. He does not say what was the fate of his collections, but states that all the party had fever from fatigue and sleeping in swamps after the wreck.--J. R.

Catalogue of the Dipterous Insects collected in the Aru Islands by Mr. A. R. WALLACE, with Descriptions of New Species. By FRANCIS WALKER.

ARU ISLAND.

Fam. MYCETOPHILIDÆ, _Haliday_.

Gen. SCIARA, _Meigen_.

Div. A. _a., Meig_. vi. 305.

1. SCIARA SELECTA, n. s. _Mas_. Nigra, cinereo-tomentosa, antennis sat validis, pedibus piceis, alis cinereis, venis costalibus crassis.

_Male_. Black, with cinereous tomentum; antennæ rather stout; legs piceous; wings greyish; veins black; radial and cubital veins thick; radial vein extending to the fork of the subapical. Length of the body 1-3/4 line; of the wings 4 lines.

Fam. BIBIONIDÆ, _Haliday_.

Gen. PLECIA, _Hoffmansegg_.

2. Plecia dorsalis, _Walk_. See Vol. I. p. 5.

Fam. CULICIDÆ, _Haliday_.

3. CULEX SCUTELLARIS, n. s. _Mas_. Nigro-fuscus, capite thoraceque argenteo trivittatis, scutello rufescente; abdominis segmentis argenteo fasciatis, genubus et tarsorum posticorum fasciis niveis; alis subcinereis, venis nigris ciliatis.

_Male_. Blackish brown. Head and thorax with three silvery stripes, the middle one very distinct; scutellum reddish; pectus with silvery gloss; abdomen with silvery bands, which are narrow above, broad beneath; femora pale towards the base; knees snow-white; hind tarsi with 5 broad snow-white bands; middle tarsi with the first and second joints white at the base; wings slightly greyish; veins black, fringed. Length of the body 3 lines; of the wings 5 lines.

Fam. TIPULIDÆ.

Gen. MEGISTOCERA, _Wied_.

4. Megistocera tuscana, _Wied. Auss. Zweist._ 1. 55. 1. Inhabits also Java.

Gen. GYNOPLISTIA, _Westw_.

5. GYNOPLISTIA JURGIOSA, n. s. _Mas. et Foem._ Nigra, capite rufescente, alis cinereis, plagis costalibus nigro-fuscis.--_Mas_. Abdomine ochraceo, apice nigro, femoribus basi testaceis.--_Foem._ Abdomine atro fasciis albidis apice luteo.

_Male and Female._ Black. Head reddish; antennæ testaceous at the base; thorax testaceous in front; wings greyish, blackish-brown along the costa, and with three subcostal blackish-brown patches, the third continued along the veins towards the hind border. _Male_. Abdomen ochraceous, black at the tip; femora testaceous at the base; halteres testaceous. _Female._ Abdomen deep black, with whitish bands on the sutures; tip luteous. Length of the body 5-6 lines; of the wings 9-10 lines.

Fam. STRATIOMIDÆ, _Haliday_.

Gen. PTILOCERA, _Wied_.

6. Ptilocera quadridentata. See Vol. 1. p. _7_.

7. MASSICYTA INFLATA, n. s. _Foem._ Nigra, capite viridi maculis nigris, antennis basi ferrugineis, pectoris callis duobus scutelloque testaceis, abdomine basi sordide albido lineis tribus nigris, fasciis duabus cano-tomentosis, segmentis tertio quartoque apice ferrugineis, tibiis basi tarsisque albidis, alis subcinereis fusco marginatis, stigmate nigricante, halteribus testaceis.

_Female._ Black. Head dull green, with several black spots; mouth testaceous; antennæ dark ferruginous towards the base; two pectoral calli and the scutellum testaceous; abdomen at the base dingy-whitish and semihyaline, and with three black lines; third and fourth segments with hoary bands, their hind borders ferruginous; tibiæ towards the base, and tarsi, whitish; hind tibiæ with the two colours most distinctly marked; wings grey, with broad brownish borders; stigma blackish; veins black; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 6 lines; of the wings 11 lines.

8. MASSICYTA CERIOÏDES, n. s. _Foem._ Nigra, capite testaceo maculis nigris, antennis basi ferrugineis, pectoris callis duobus, thoracis vittis duabus interruptis, scutello abdominisque fasciis tribus viridibus, segmento abdominali secundo maculis duabus testaceis, tarsis albis, alis nigricanti-fuscis, halteribus viridibus.

_Female._ Black. Head testaceous, with some black spots on the vertex. Antennæ dark ferruginous towards the base. An interrupted stripe on each side of the thorax, two pectoral calli, the scutellum, and the hind borders of the second, third, and fourth abdominal segments green. Abdomen testaceous at the base beneath; first band interrupted, having before it two testaceous spots. Knees lurid; tarsi white. Wings blackish brown; stigma and veins black; halteres apple-green. Length of the body 5-6 lines; of the wings 10-12 lines.

Gen. SALDUBA, n. g.

_Male. Corpus_ angustum, sublineare. _Caput_ transversum; vertex angustus. _Oculi_ magni. _Antennæ_ capite transverso valde longiores; articuli primo ad septimum breves; flagellum longum, lanceolatum, subarcuatum. _Thorax_ longus, subcompressus; scutellum inerme. _Abdomen_ planum, thorace paullo longius. _Pedes_ graciles; postici longi. _Alæ_ angustæ.

_Male._ Body narrow, nearly linear. Head slightly transverse, nearly as broad as the thorax; vertex narrow. Eyes large. Antennæ shorter than the thorax; joints from the first to the seventh short; flagellum long, lanceolate, slightly curved. Thorax long, slightly increasing in breadth from the head to the base of the wings. Abdomen nearly flat and linear, a little longer than the thorax. Legs slender; hind pair long. Wings narrow; veins complete, distinctly marked; first cubital areolet rather short, divided from the second by the oblique first cubital rim; discal areolet large, hexagonal; subanal and anal veins united at some distance from the border.

9. SALDUBA DIPHYSOIDES, n. s., _Mas._ Nigra, ore flavo, thorace vittis quatuor subauratis, abdominis apice cinereo, pedibus albidis, femoribus posticis apices versus tibiisque posticis nigris, alis cinereis, venis stigmateque nigris, halteribus testaceis.

_Male._ Black. Mouth yellow; thorax with four stripes of slightly gilded tomentum; tip of the abdomen with cinereous tomentum; legs whitish, hind femora towards the tips and hind tibiæ black; wings greyish, veins and stigma black; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 4-1/2 lines; of the wings 8 lines.

Gen. STRATIOMYS.

10. STRATIOMYS CONFERTISSIMA, n. s. _Foem._ Nigra, subtus ferruginea, capite fulvo, antennis basi fulvis, thorace vittis quatuor subauratis, scutelli margine fulvo, ventre piceo basi testaceo, pedibus fulvis nigro fasciatis; alis subcinereis, venis stigmateque nigris, halteribus testaceis.

_Female._ Black, ferruginous beneath. Head, antennæ at the base, border of the scutellum, and legs tawny; antennæ a little shorter than the breadth of the head; thorax with four slightly gilded stripes; abdomen beneath piceous, testaceous at the base; femora and tibiæ with broad black bands; wings greyish, stigma and veins black; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 4 lines; of the wings 7-1/2 lines.

11. STRATIOMYS NEXURA, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Nigra, antennis basi fulvis, capite transverso brevioribus, abdominis lateribus, ventre, tibiis, tarsis halteribusque fulvis, alis limpidis, venis testaceis. _Mas._ Thorace atro piloso. _Foem._ Thorace nigro-æneo angustiore.

_Male and female._ Black. Head rather prominent; antennæ tawny towards the base, shorter than the breadth of the head; spines of the scutellum, abdomen beneath, tibiæ, tarsi, and halteres tawny; wings limpid, veins testaceous. _Male._ Thorax deep black, pilose; abdomen tawny along each side. _Female._ Head shining; thorax æneous black, narrower than that of the male; abdomen with the tawny stripes much narrower than those of the male. Length of the body 3-1/2 lines; of the wings 6-1/2 lines.

Gen. CLITELLARIA, _Meigen._

12. Clitellaria bivittata, _Fabr._ See Vol. I. p. 7.

Gen. GABAZA, n. g.

_Foem. Corpus_ breve, latum. _Caput_ transversum, thorace paullo angustius; facies valde obliqua. _Antennæ_ capite transverso breviores; articuli breves, transversi; arista longa, gracilis, filiformis. _Scutellum_ prominens, spinis duabus minutis. _Abdomen_ transversum, thorace multo latius. _Pedes_ graciles, breviusculi. _Alæ_ sat angustæ; venæ tenues.

_Female._ Body short, broad. Head transverse, a little narrower than the thorax; face very oblique. Antennæ shorter than the breadth of the head; joints short, transverse; arista slender, filiform, longer than the preceding part, which is lanceolate. Scutellum prominent, armed with two minute spines. Abdomen transverse, much broader than the thorax. Legs slender, somewhat short. Wings rather narrow; veins feeble, in structure like those of _Stratiomys_.

13. GABAZA ARGENTEA, n. s. _Foem._ Nigra, antennis fulvis, arista alba, thorace abdomineque argenteo-tomentosis, tarsis albido-testaceis, alis limpidis, venis pallidis.

_Female._ Coal-black. Antennæ tawny, arista white; thorax and abdomen with bright silvery tomentum; tarsi whitish testaceous; wings limpid, veins pale. Length of the body 2 lines; of the wings 3-1/2 lines.

Gen. SARGUS, _Fabr._

14. Sargus metallinus, _Fabr._ See Vol. I. p. 110.

15. SARGUS COMPLENS, n. s. _Foem._ Rufescente-fulvus, capitis vertice nigro, antennis testaceis, abdomine fasciis latis abbreviatis piceis, tarsis posticis basi tibiisque posticis nigris, alis cinereis, basi subluridis, apud costam exteriorem nigro-fuscis.

_Female._ Reddish tawny. Head black above, testaceous beneath; antennæ testaceous; abdomen with four broad abbreviated piceous bands; legs tawny, hind tibiæ black with a tawny apical mark, hind tarsi black towards the base; wings greyish, slightly lurid towards the base, blackish-brown about the exterior part of the costa, veins black, tawny towards the base; halteres testaceous, tawny towards the tips. Length of the body 6 lines; of the wings 14 lines.

16. SARGUS ROGANS, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Capitis vertice nigro, antennis pedibusque testaceis, tibiis tarsisque posticis nigris, alis subcinereis apice obscurioribus. _Mas._ Luteo-testaceus. _Foem._ Ferrugineus.

_Male and Female._ Head black above; antennæ and legs testaceous; hind tibiæ and hind tarsi black; wings greyish, darker towards their tips; veins black, tawny towards the base. _Male._ Lutescent testaceous. _Female._ Ferruginous; wings darker than those of the male. Length of the body 5 lines; of the wings 10 lines.

Gen. NERUA, n. g.

_Foem. Corpus_ longiusculum, sublineare. _Caput_ transversum, thorace non latius. _Antennæ_ breves; articulus tertius rotundus; arista apicalis, longa, tenuis, setiformis. _Thorax_ productus. _Scutellum_ spinis quatuor longiusculis. _Abdomen_ depressum, sublineare, thorace vix latius, non longius. _Pedes_ graciles, non longi. _Alæ_ angustæ; venæ bene determinatæ.

_Female._ Body rather long, nearly linear. Head transverse, not broader than the thorax. Antennæ short; third joint round; arista apical, long, slender, setiform. Thorax long. Abdomen flat, thin, nearly linear, hardly broader and not longer than the thorax. Legs slender, not long. Wings narrow; veins distinctly marked, in structure like those of _Clitellaria_.

This genus may be distinguished from _Culcua_ by the shape of the abdomen.

17. NERUA SCENOPINOÏDES, n. s. _Foem._ Atra, nitens, antennis fulvis, scutelli spinis pedibusque albis, alis nigro-cinereis, postice pallidioribus, venis nigris, halteribus testaceis.

_Female._ Coal-black, shining; antennæ tawny; thorax slightly tomentose; spines of the scutellum and legs white; wings blackish grey, paler towards the hind border, veins black; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 3 lines; of the wings 5 lines.

Gen. ADRAGA, n. g.

_Mas. Corpus_ sublineare. _Caput_ thorace non latius. _Oculi_ connexi. _Antennæ_ brevissimæ; articulus tertius rotundus; arista apicalis, gracilis, setiformis. _Thorax_ sutura transversa bene determinata. _Scutellum_ prominens, trigonum, marginatum. _Abdomen_ thorace paullo brevius, non latius. _Pedes_ breviusculi, validi, non dilatati. _Alæ_ mediocres.

_Male_. Body nearly linear, rather thick. Head not broader than the thorax. Eyes connected. Antennæ very short; third joint round; arista apical, long, slender, setiform. Thorax with the transverse suture very distinct. Scutellum prominent, triangular, with a border. Abdomen a little shorter and not broader than the thorax. Legs stout, rather short, not dilated. Wings moderately broad; veins in structure like those of _Clitellaria_.

18. ADRAGA UNIVITTA, n. s. _Mas._ Nigra, subtilissime punctata, antennis piceis, thorace vitta cinerea, tarsis posterioribus albis, alis nigricantibus.

_Male_. Coal-black, hardly shining; antennæ piceous; thorax and abdomen very minutely punctured; thorax with a stripe of cinereous tomentum; posterior tarsi white; wings blackish, veins black. Length of the body 3 lines; of the wings 5 lines.

Gen. OBRAPA, n. g.

_Foem. Corpus_ breve, latum, crassum, convexum. _Caput_ transversum, thorace angustius. _Antennæ_ breves; articulus tertius rotundus; arista apicalis, gracilis, setiformis. _Thorax_ sutura transversa bene determinata. _Abdomen_ transversum, thorace paullo latius, valde brevius. _Pedes_ breviusculi, validi; antici subdilatati. _Alæ_ mediocres.

_Female._ Body short, broad, thick, convex. Head transverse, narrower than the thorax. Antennæ short; third joint round; arista apical, slender, setiform. Thorax with the transverse suture very distinct. Scutellum large, prominent, with a marginal suture. Abdomen transverse, a little broader than the thorax, and not more than half its length. Legs stout, rather short, the fore pair slightly dilated. Wings moderately broad, veins rather irregular; discal areolet large, quadrilateral; externo-medial veins, subanal vein, and anal vein very slight; subanal vein and anal vein united at some distance from the border.

19. OBRAPA PERILAMPOÏDES, n. s. _Foem._ Atra, nitens, subtilissime punctata, capite glabro, antennis piceis, tarsis posterioribus albidis, alis limpidis, venis albidis basi nigris, halteribus niveis.

_Female._ Deep black, shining, very minutely punctured; head smooth; antennæ piceous; posterior tarsi whitish, with black tips; wings limpid, veins whitish, black towards the base; halteres snow-white. Length of the body 2-1/2 lines; of the wings 5 lines.

20. OBRAPA CELYPHOÏDES, n. s. _Foem._ Atra, nitens, subtilissime punctata, capite glabro, antennis piceis, tarsis albidis, alis nigro-cinereis, venis nigris, halteribus niveis.

_Female._ Deep black, very minutely punctured. Head smooth; antennæ piceous; tarsi whitish; wings blackish cinereous, veins black; halteres snow-white. Length of the body 2 lines; of the wings 4 lines.

Fam. TABANIDÆ, _Leach_.

Gen. TABANUS, _Linn._

21. TABANUS RECUSANS, n. s. _Foem._ Piceus, cinereo-subtomentosus, callo nigro angusto, antennis rufis apice nigris, humeris rufescentibus, abdomine basi glaucescente, tibiis obscure ferrugineis, alis nigro-fuscis, apice margineque postico cinereis.

_Female._ Piceous, slightly covered with cinereous tomentum. Callus of the head black, long, slender, entire; antennæ red, black towards the tips, angle of the third joint very small; thorax reddish on each side in front of the forewings; abdomen with glaucous tomentum towards the base; tibiæ mostly dark ferruginous; wings blackish-brown, cinereous towards the tips and along the hind border; veins black; forebranch of the cubital vein simple, very slightly undulating, its tip, like that of the radial vein, clouded with blackish-brown. Length of the body 6-1/2 lines; of the wings 12 lines.

Fam. ASILIDÆ, _Leach_.

Subfam. DASYPOGONITES, _Walk._

Gen. DASYPOGON, _Fabr._

22. DASYPOGON INOPINUS, n. s. _Foem._ Piceus, facie aurata, mystace parvo albo, antennis ferrugineis, apices versus nigris, capite transverso longioribus, articulo tertio lineari, pectore fasciis tribus canis, abdominis segmentis ferrugineo fasciatis, alis luridis, apud costam nigro-fuscis, halteribus testaceis.

_Female._ Piceous. Face flat, brightly gilded; epistoma not prominent; mystax with a few white bristles; mouth black; antennæ ferruginous, black towards the tips, longer than the breadth of the head; third joint linear, longer than the first and the second together; pectus with three hoary bands; abdomen subclavate, nearly twice the length of the thorax; a ferruginous band on the hind border of each segment; legs mostly ferruginous; wings lurid, blackish-brown towards the costa, veins black; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 8 lines; of the wings 14 lines.

23. DASYPOGON HONESTUS, n. s. Lutescente-fulvus, capite, antennis, pedibus alisque nigris, thorace vitta schistacea nigro marginata vittisque duabus lateralibus cinereis, pectore postico nigro, abdomine ----?, tibiis tarsisque posticis fulvis.

Luteous-tawny. Head, antennæ, hind part of the pectus, and legs black, shining; mystax with very few bristles; antennæ almost as long as the breadth of the head, third joint long, slender, linear; thorax with a slate-coloured blackish-bordered stripe, a short slate-coloured stripe on each side; abdomen wanting; hind tibiæ and tarsi tawny; wings blackish, veins black. Length of the body 4? lines; of the wings 7 lines.

Subfam. LAPHRITES, _Walk._

Gen. LAPHRIA, _Fabr._

24. Laphria scapularis, _Wied. Auss. Zweifl._ 1. 516. 29. Inhabits also Java.

25. Laphria aurifacies, _Macq._ See Vol. I. p. 10.

26. LAPHRIA GLORIOSA, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Aurata, capite pectoreque albis, abdomine purpureo, guttis lateralibus albis, basi viridi, lateribus pedibusque cyaneis, alis fuscis basi cinereis, halteribus testaceis.

_Male and Female._ Head and pectus with white tomentum and hairs; mystax with a few black bristles; mouth and antennæ black; third joint of the latter linear, conical at the tip, longer than the first and the second together; thorax with cupreous-gilded tomentum; abdomen purple, green at the base, blue and with a row of white dots along each side; legs blue; wings brown, cinereous towards the base, veins black; halteres testaceous. _Male._ Legs very thick and pilose. Length of the body 9 lines; of the wings 16 lines.

27. LAPHRIA SOCIA, n. s. _Foem._ Cyaneo-viridis, capite aurato, antennarum articulo tertio longissimo subfusiformi, thoracis tomento subaurato, vitta media nuda, pectore argenteo, abdomine purpureo-cyaneo basi viridi maculis lateralibus argenteis, alis nigro-cinereis basi cinereis.

_Female._ Bluish-green. Head brightly gilded, hind part silvery; mystax with six long black bristles; third joint of the antennæ very elongate subfusiform; thorax with slightly gilded tomentum, excepting a broad bare middle stripe; pectus with silvery tomentum; abdomen purplish-blue, green towards the base, with spots of silvery tomentum along each side; hind borders of the ventral segments white; wings grey, blackish-grey for almost half the length from the tips and along three-fourths of the length of the hind border, veins black; halteres ferruginous. Length of the body 8-1/2 lines; of the wings 16 lines.

28. LAPHRIA CONSOBRINA, n. s. _Foem._ Purpurea, capite aurato, pectore argenteo, abdomine viridi-cyaneo, maculis lateralibus argenteis, alis nigricantibus basi cinereis.

_Female._ Purple. Head brightly gilded, hind part silvery, underside with white hairs; mystax with six long black bristles; pectus with silvery tomentum; abdomen greenish blue, with spots of silvery tomentum along each side; hind borders of the ventral segments white; wings slightly grey, blackish for full half the length from the tips and along full three-fourths of the length of the hind border, veins black; halteres ferruginous, with black tips. Length of the body 7-1/2 lines; of the wings 14 lines.

This species much resembles _L. socia_, but may be distinguished by the difference of colour, and more especially by the more undulating first branch vein, by the much less oblique third externo-medial vein, and by the subanal vein, which is united to the anal vein much nearer the border.

29. LAPHRIA SODALIS, n. s. _Mas._ Cyanea, capite aurato, antennarum articulo tertio fusiformi, thoracis lateribus purpureo-viridibus, pectore ventreque argenteis, abdomine maculis lateralibus argenteis, alis cinereis, apice posticeque nigricantibus.

_Male._ Blue. Head brightly gilded, vertex and hind part silvery, underside with white hairs; mystax with four long black bristles, and with several gilded bristles; third joint of the antennæ elongate-fusiform; sides of the thorax varied with green and purple; abdomen with spots of silvery tomentum along each side, underside and pectus silvery; wings grey, black towards the tips and along half the length of the hind border; halteres white. Length of the body 7 lines; of the wings 13 lines.

The veins of this species are hardly different from those of _L. consobrina_ in structure, excepting the third externo-medial, which is united to the fourth nearer the border.

30. LAPHRIA COMES, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Viridi-cyanea, capite aurato, antennarum articulo tertio fusiformi, pectore ventrisque lateribus argenteis, abdomine viridi (mas) aut purpureo-cyaneo (foem.) maculis lateralibus argenteis, alis nigricantibus basi cinereis.

_Male and Female._ Greenish blue. Head brightly gilded, hind part silvery; mystax with six long black bristles; third joint of the antennæ elongate-fusiform; pectus with silvery tomentum; abdomen green in the male, purplish-blue in the female, with silvery spots along each side, underside with two silvery stripes; wings blackish, grey at the base and along the costa for more than one-third of the length, veins and halteres black. Length of the body 6--6-1/2 lines; of the wings 11-12 lines.

This may be only a small variety of _L. consobrina_; but the wings are not darker towards the costa as in that species, and the first branch-vein is much more straight.

31. LAPHRIA CONSORS, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Viridis (mas) aut cyanea (foem.), capite aurato, antennarum articulo tertio brevifusiformi, pectore argenteo, abdomine æneo-viridi (mas) aut cyaneo-purpureo (foem.) maculis lateralibus argenteis, alis nigricantibus, basi cinereis.

_Male and Female._ Green (male) or blue (female). Head gilded, hind part silvery; mystax with a few black bristles; third joint of the antennæ short-fusiform; pectus silvery; abdomen æneous-green in the male, bluish-purple in the female, with silvery spots along each side; wings blackish, grey at the base and along the costa for more than one-third of the length; veins and halteres black. Length of the body 4-1/2--5 lines; of the wings 8-9 lines.

The straight and not oblique third externo-medial vein distinguishes this species from all the preceding _Laphriæ_.

32. LAPHRIA GERMANA, n. s. _Foem._ Cyanea, facie aurata, antennarum articulo tertio longissime subfusiformi, abdominis maculis lateralibus pectoreque argenteis, alis cinereis, basi subcinereis, halteribus albis.

_Female._ Blue. Head gilded in front, vertex and hind part silvery; mystax with six black bristles; third joint of the antennæ very long, subfusiform; pectus silvery; abdomen purplish blue, shorter than in the preceding species, with silvery spots along each side; wings grey, slightly grey towards the base; halteres white. Length of the body 3-1/2 lines; of the wings 7 lines.

33. LAPHRIA FLAGRANTISSIMA, n. s. _Mas._ Rufescente-cervina, capite aurato, antennis pedibusque rufescentibus, thorace vittis tribus latissimis (lateralibus abbreviatis) pectoreque nigricantibus, alis lutescentibus, plaga postica interiore fasciaque latissima exteriore nigricantibus.

_Male._ Reddish fawn colour. Head gilded; mystax with numerous gilded bristles; mouth lanceolate, very stout; antennæ reddish, third joint long, lanceolate, abruptly acuminated at the tip; thorax with three very broad blackish stripes; disk of the pectus black; abdomen with the segments darker towards the base, underside black towards the tip; legs reddish, stout; tarsi with black bands beneath; wings somewhat luteous, with a large blackish patch on the hind border near the base, and with a very broad blackish band near the tip; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 11 lines; of the wings 22 lines.

34. LAPHRIA JUSTA, n. s. _Mas._ Lutea, capite aurato, ore, antennis apice, thoracis maculis duabus posticis, pectore, abdominis fasciis latis femoribusque nigris, alis cinereis, apud costam luridis.

_Male._ Luteous. Head gilded; mystax with numerous gilded bristles; mouth short, black; antennæ reddish tawny, third joint lanceolate, black except at the base; thorax with the disk somewhat darker, two large black spots hindward; pectus black; abdomen linear, with a broad black band on the fore border of each segment; femora black above except at the tips, hind femora black also beneath; wings greyish, slightly clouded with dark grey, lurid along the costa for three-fourths of the length; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 8 lines; of the wings 14 lines.

35. LAPHRIA MANIFESTA, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Fulva, capite argenteo (mas) aut pallide aurato (foem.), antennis apice nigris, thoracis disco et abdominis maculis subtrigonis subæneo-ferrugineis, scutello quadrisetoso, alis subcinereis.

_Male and Female._ Tawny. Head silvery in the male, pale-gilded in the female; mystax with several slender bristles; mouth lanceolate; third joint of the antennæ very elongate-subfusiform, black towards the tip; disk of the thorax and nearly triangular dorsal spots of the abdomen ferruginous with a slight æneous tinge; pectus testaceous, slightly silvery; wings slightly greyish; veins black, testaceous at the base, where the wings also have a testaceous tinge; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 4-1/2--5 lines; of the wings 8-9 lines.

36. LAPHRIA APERTA, n. s. _Foem._ Testacea, capite subargenteo, antennis abdominisque apice nigris, alis nigricantibus basi limpidis, halteribus albidis.

_Female._ Testaceous. Head with whitish slightly silvery tomentum; mystax with very few bristles; antennæ black, third joint long, linear, conical at the tip; thorax with a very indistinct darker stripe; abdomen black towards the tip; wings blackish, limpid towards the base; veins black, testaceous at the base; halteres whitish. Length of the body 4 lines; of the wings 7 lines.

37. LAPHRIA DECLARATA, n. s. _Mas._ Fulva, capite albo, facie argentea micante, antennis tibiisque posticis nigris, thorace atro, alis cinereis, venis nigris, halteribus testaceis.

_Male._ Tawny, slender. Head white, face brilliant silvery; mystax with four bristles; mouth black, short, slender; eyes flat in front; antennæ black, almost as long as the breadth of the head; third joint long, slender, lanceolate; thorax deep black; scutellum reddish tawny; hind tibiæ black, with tawny tips; wings greyish, veins black; discal veinlet and third externo-medial vein forming one straight line, as in the genus _Atomosia_; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 3-1/2 lines; of the wings 6 lines.

Subfam. ASILITES, _Walk._

Gen. TRUPANEA, _Macq._

38. TRUPANEA CONTRADICENS, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Nigricans, cinereo-subtomentosa, thoracis vittis pectoreque cano-tomentosis, pedibus nigris, tibiis rufis apice nigris, alis fusco-cinereis, areola radiali schistaceo vittata. _Mas._ Capite subaurato, barba testaceo-albida, abdominis segmentis lutescente marginatis. _Foem._ Capite barbaque albidis, abdomine stylato, segmentis cano marginatis.

_Male and Female._ Blackish. Antennæ and legs black; thorax slightly covered with cinereous tomentum; stripes, pectus, and underside of the abdomen hoary; tibiæ red, with black tips; wings brownish grey; radial areolet with a slate-coloured stripe. _Male._ Head slightly gilded; mystax with a few black bristles and many gilded bristles; beard testaceous-whitish; sides of the abdomen and hind borders of the segments lutescent. _Female._ Head and beard whitish; mystax with many black bristles and a few white bristles; abdomen with an apical style, more than one-third of the length of the preceding part, sides and hind borders of the segments hoary. Length of the body 12-14 lines; of the wings 14-18 lines.

Gen. ASILUS, _Linn._

39. Asilus longistylus, _Wied. Auss. Zweifl._ 1. 433. 13. Inhabits also Java.

Gen. OMMATIUS, _Illiger._

40. OMMATIUS NOCTIFER, n. s. _Mas._ Niger, capite aurato, thoracis incisuris, scutello, pectore, segmentorum abdominalium marginibus ventreque canis, tibiis fulvis apice nigris, alis cinereis costa apiceque nigricantibus, halteribus ferrugineis.

_Male._ Black. Head gilded; mystax with a few black and several gilded bristles; sutures of the thorax, scutellum, sides, pectus, hind borders of the abdominal segments, and underside hoary; tibiæ tawny, with black tips; wings cinereous, blackish along the costa and towards the tips, veins black; halteres ferruginous. Length of the body 6--6-1/2 lines; of the wings 11-12 lines.

41. OMMATIUS LUCIFER, n. s. _Mas._ Æneo-niger, capite argenteo, pectore albido, abdominis segmentis ferrugineo marginatis, pedibus testaceis, femoribus nigro-vittatis, tarsis nigris, alis limpidis apice nigricantibus costa atra apud medium incrassata, halteribus testaceis.

_Male._ Bronze-black. Head silvery in front; mystax with a few black and a few whitish bristles; pectus whitish; hind borders of the abdominal segments ferruginous; legs testaceous; femora striped with black; tarsi black, ferruginous at the base; wings limpid, blackish at the tips; costa deep black, incrassated in the middle; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 6 lines; of the wings 11 lines.

42. OMMATIUS RETRAHENS, n. s. _Foem._ Cinereo-niger, facie argentea, pectore albido, pedibus testaceis, tarsis, femoribus tibiisque apice femoribusque posticis nigris, alis limpidis apice subcinereis, halteribus testaceis.

_Female._ Cinereous-black. Head silvery white in front; mystax with very few white and black bristles; pectus whitish; legs testaceous; tips of the anterior femora and of the middle tibiæ black; hind femora and hind tarsi black; anterior tarsi and hind tibiæ black, testaceous towards the base; wings limpid, slightly cinereous towards the tips; veins black; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 4 lines; of the wings 7 lines.

Gen. LEPTOGASTER, _Meigen._

43. LEPTOGASTER FERRUGINEUS, n. s. _Mas._ Ferrugineus, pectore albo, abdomine nigro, segmentorum marginibus ventreque testaceis, pedibus fulvis, femoribus apice nigris, tibiis piceo vittatis, tibiis posticis tarsisque nigris basi testaceis, alis sublimpidis, halteribus testaceis apice piceis.

_Male._ Ferruginous. Head pale, gilded in front, hind side and pectus white; mouth and antennæ tawny, the latter blackish towards the tips; abdomen black; hind borders of the segments and under side testaceous; legs tawny; anterior femora with a testaceous band before the tips, which are black; hind femora and anterior tibiæ striped with piceous, the latter black towards the tips; tarsi and hind tibiæ black, testaceous at the base; wings very slightly greyish, veins black; halteres testaceous, piceous towards the tips. Length of the body 7 lines; of the wings 10 lines.

44. LEPTOGASTER LONGIPES, n. s. _Mas._ Ferrugineus, pectore albido, abdomine piceo, segmentis apice fulvescentibus, pedibus anterioribus fulvescentibus, posticis piceis longissimis, femoribus posticis basi testaceis, alis subcinereis basi obscurioribus costa venisque nigris, halteribus testaceis apice nigris.

_Male._ Ferruginous. Head testaceous in front; mouth and antennæ black; pectus whitish; abdomen piceous, hind borders of the segments somewhat tawny; legs somewhat tawny; hind legs piceous, very long, their femora testaceous at the base; wings slightly greyish, darker towards the base, costa and veins black; halteres testaceous, with black knobs. Length of the body 4 lines; of the wings 8 lines.

45. LEPTOGASTER ALBIMANUS, n. s. _Mas._ Niger, capite antico pectoreque albis, antennis basi ferrugineis, abdominis segmentis cano fasciatis, femoribus, tibiis tarsisque basi albis, femoribus posticis luteo fasciatis, alis limpidis, halteribus albidis apice piceis.

_Male._ Black. Head in front and the pectus white; antennæ ferruginous at the base; abdomen long, a hoary band on the hind border of each segment; femora, tibiæ, and tarsi white at the base; hind legs long, rather stout; hind femora with a luteous band; wings limpid, veins black; halteres whitish, with piceous knobs. Length of the body 5 lines; of the wings 7 lines.

Fam. LEPTIDÆ, _Westw._

Gen. LEPTIS, _Fabr._

46. Leptis ferruginosa, _Wied._ See Vol. I. p. 118.

Gen. CHRYSOPILA, _Macq._

47. CHRYSOPILA VACILLANS, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Lutescens, capite nigro, thorace subvittato, abdominis segmentis nigro fasciatis, alis sublimpidis apud costam flavescentibus, venis fusco latissime marginatis, stigmate nigro-fusco.

_Male and Female._ Lutescent. Head of the female black, shining; thorax with two brown bands which are paler and indistinct hindward; abdomen with a broad black band on each segment; tarsi blackish towards the tips; wings nearly limpid, yellowish along the costa, veins exteriorly with very broad brownish borders, stigma blackish brown. Length of the body 3-1/2 lines; of the wings 6 lines.

Fam. BOMBYLIDÆ, _Leach._

Subfam. THEREVITES, _Walk._

48. THEREVA CONGRUA, n. s. _Mas._ Nigra, glaucescente albo tomentosa, albo pilosa, capite argenteo, thorace trivittato et bilineato, pedibus nigris, femoribus albis, alis cinereis stigmate elongato venisque nigris.

_Male._ Black, with glaucous-white tomentum and with white hairs. Head silvery in front; thorax with three blackish brown stripes, the middle one with a dark stripe on each side, broader and more distinct than the lateral pair; abdomen beneath and legs black, femora white; wings grey, with an elongated black stigma and black veins; halteres black. Length of the body 5 lines; of the wings 8 lines.

Subfam. BOMBYLITES, _Walk._

Gen. ANTHRAX, _Fabr._

49. ANTHRAX PELOPS, n. s. _Mas._ Ferruginea, thoracis margine rufo piloso, pectore abdomineque nigris, abdomine fasciis duabus, maculis duabus apicalibus, plagaque ventrali subtrigona argenteis, alis cinereis, basi costaque nigris.

_Male._ Closely allied to _A. Tantalus_. Dark ferruginous. Head above, antennæ, pectus, abdomen, and legs black; thorax bordered with red hairs; pectus with a silvery dot on each side; abdomen with red hairs on each side at the base, with two silvery bands, with two silvery apical spots, and with a ventral, nearly triangular, silvery patch; wings cinereous, black at the base and along five-sixths of the length of the costa, veins and halteres black. Length of the body 8 lines; of the wings 18 lines.

50. Anthrax semiscita, _Walk._ See Vol. I. p. 118.

51. Anthrax degenera, _Walk._ See Vol. I. p. 15.

Gen. GERON, _Meigen._

52. GERON SIMPLEX, n. s. _Mas._ Ater, antennis pedibusque nigris, alis subcinereis, halteribus fulvis.

_Male._ Deep black. Eyes bright red; proboscis a little longer than the thorax; antennæ and legs black; wings slightly greyish, veins black; halteres tawny. Length of the body 2-1/2 lines; of the wings 5 lines.

Fam. EMPIDOÆ, _Leach._

Gen. HYBOS, _Fabr._

53. HYBOS BICOLOR, n. s. _Mas._ Fulvus, ore antennisque testaceis, abdomine, femoribus posticis apice tibiisque anticis piceis, tarsis anterioribus ferrugineis, alis obscure cinereis.

_Male._ Tawny. Mouth and antennæ testaceous; abdomen, hind femora at the tips, and fore tibiæ piceous, anterior tarsi ferruginous; wings dark grey, veins black. Length of the body 3-1/2 lines; of the wings 7 lines.

Fam. DOLICHOPIDÆ, _Leach._

Gen. Psilopus, _Meigen._

54. Psilopus æneus, _Fabr. Syst. Antl._ 268. 9.

Inhabits also Java.

55. PSILOPUS BENEDICTUS, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Aureo-viridis, facie pectoreque argenteis, antennis testaceis apice nigris, thorace vittis tribus cupreis, abdomine fasciis cupreo-purpureis, maculis lateralibus albidis, pedibus testaceis tibiis posticis tarsisque nigris, alis subcinereis, costam versus et apud venas transversas nigro-fuscis, halteribus testaceis. _Foem._ Vertice cyaneo-purpureo, abdomine fasciis cyaneis.

_Male and Female._ Golden green. Face silvery; antennæ testaceous, black towards the tips, arista full as long as the thorax; thorax with three cupreous stripes; pectus silvery; abdomen with cupreous purple bands and with whitish spots along each side; legs testaceous, tarsi and hind tibiæ black; wings slightly greyish, blackish brown along the costa and about the transverse veins, veins black, fore branch of the præbrachial vein curved inward, discal transverse vein undulating; halteres testaceous. _Female._ Vertex bluish purple; abdomen with blue bands. Length of the body 4--4-1/2 lines; of the wings 7-8 lines.

56. PSILOPUS LUCIGENA, n. s. _Mas._ Aureo-viridis, facie pectoreque argenteis, antennis tarsisque nigris, thorace vittis tribus rufo-cupreis, abdomine fasciis cupreo-purpureis, femoribus lutescentibus, tibiis piceis, femoribus anticis apice nigricantibus, alis nigris apice albis, halteribus fulvis apice nigris.

_Male._ Golden green. Face and pectus silvery; antennæ black, arista longer than the thorax; thorax with three broad reddish cupreous stripes; abdomen with broad cupreous purple bands; femora lutescent, tibiæ piceous, fore femora blackish towards the tips, tarsi black; wings black, tips snow-white, fore branch of the præbrachial vein slightly curved inward, discal transverse vein much curved outward; halteres tawny, with black tips. Length of the body 4-1/2 lines; of the wings 9 lines.

57. Psilopus flavicornis, _Wied. Auss. Zweifl._ 11. 227. 31.

Inhabits also Sumatra.

58. PSILOPUS TERMINIFER, n. s. _Mas._ Aureo-viridis, vertice cyaneo-purpureo, facie pectoreque argenteis, antennis, pedibus halteribusque testaceis, abdomine apicem versus atro fasciis duabus cupreis, alis subcinereis apice nigris.

_Male._ Golden-green, slender. Vertex bluish-purple; face and pectus silvery; antennæ testaceous, arista about half the length of the body; fourth and fifth segments of the abdomen deep black with a cupreous band on the hind border of each segment, tip blue; legs and halteres testaceous; wings greyish, paler along the hind border, tips black, fore branch of the præbrachial vein slightly curved inward, discal transverse vein slightly undulating. Length of the body 3 lines; of the wings 5 lines.

59. PSILOPUS ORCIFER, n. s. _Foem._ Purpureus, facie pectoreque subcinereis, antennis, pedibus halteribusque nigris, abdomine cyaneo-viridi segmentorum marginibus posticis purpureis, alis nigricantibus margine postico cinereo. _Var._ Viridis, vertice cyaneo, abdominis segmentis basi nigris.

_Female._ Purple, rather stout. Face and pectus slightly cinereous; antennæ, legs, and halteres black; abdomen bluish-green, hind borders of the segments purple; wings blackish, cinereous along the hind border, fore branch of the præbrachial vein forming an obtuse angle, discal transverse vein very undulating. _Var._ Green. Vertex blue; abdominal segments black at the base. Length of the body 2-1/2 lines; of the wings 5 lines.

60. PSILOPUS EGENS, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Purpureus, facie pectoreque cyaneo-viridi cinereo subtomentosis, antennis, pedibus halteribusque nigris, metathorace viridi, abdomine cyaneo, suturis nigris, alis cinereis.

_Male and Female._ Purple. Face and pectus slightly covered with cinereous tomentum, the latter bluish-green; antennæ black, arista much more than half the length of the body; metathorax green; abdomen blue, sutures black; legs and halteres black; wings grey, fore branch of the præbrachial vein much curved inward, discal transverse vein straight; length of the body 2-1/2--2-3/4 lines; of the wings 5 lines.

Gen. DOLICHOPUS, _Latr._

61. DOLICHOPUS TRIGONIFER, n. s. _Foem._ Cupreo-viridis, facie argentea, antennis, pedibus halteribusque testaceis, pectore, ventre abdominisque maculis lateralibus trigonis albidis, abdomine purpureo marginibus posticis nigris, tarsis posterioribus nigricantibus, alis cinereis.

_Female._ Cupreous green. Face silvery; antennæ, legs, and halteres testaceous; pectus, abdomen beneath, and triangular spots on each side whitish; abdomen purple, hind borders of the segments black; posterior tarsi blackish; wings grey, veins black, præbrachial vein forming a right angle at its flexure, between which and the border it is much curved inward, discal transverse vein very slightly curved outwards. Length of the body 3 lines; of the wings 5 lines.

This species resembles the _Psilopi_ in the structure of the præbrachial vein.

Gen. DIAPHORUS, _Meigen._

62. DIAPHORUS RESUMENS, n. s. _Mas et Foem._ Obscure viridis (mas) aut niger (foem.), facie pectoreque albidis, antennis piceis, abdomine nigro-cupreo basi obscure testaceo, pedibus anterioribus tibiisque posticis basi obscure testaceis, pedibus posticis nigris, alis nigricantibus apud marginem posticum pallidioribus, halteribus testaceis.

_Male and Female._ Dark green (male) or black (female). Face and pectus whitish; antennæ piceous; abdomen cupreous-black, dull testaceous towards the base; hind legs black, hind tibiæ towards the base and anterior legs dull testaceous; wings blackish, paler along the hind border, veins black, præbrachial vein and discal transverse vein straight; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 2 lines; of the wings 3-1/2 lines.

Fam. SYRPHIDÆ, _Leach._

Gen. CERIA, _Fabr._

63. CERIA SMARAGDINA, n. s. _Foem._ Saturate metallico-viridis, subtilissime punctata, faciei lateribus cupreis, antennis nigris, arista nivea, thorace bivittato, abdomine æneo-viridi, tarsis nigris, alis dimidio costali nigro, halteribus testaceis.

_Female._ Deep metallic green, very finely punctured. Head blue in front, sides of the face cupreous-purple; mouth, antennæ, and tarsi black; arista snow-white; thorax with two almost contiguous darker stripes; abdomen æneous green, with the exception of the petiole, which is very thick; wings slightly greyish, costal half black; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 7 lines; of the wings 14 lines.

64. CERIA RELICTA, n. s. _Mas._ Nigra, faciei lateribus, thoracis maculis quatuor humeralibus, pectoris fasciis duabus lateralibus, scutello, abdominis maculis duabus basalibus fasciisque duabus flavis, tibiis flavescentibus apice piceis, alis apud costam nigris, halteribus testaceis.

_Male._ Black. Head yellow beneath, and in front with the exception of a black stripe on the disk of the face; arista white; thorax with two yellow spots on each side in front; scutellum yellow; pectus with an oblique yellow band on each side; abdomen not petiolated, with a tumid yellow spot on each side at the base, hind borders of the third and fourth segments yellow; femora at the tips and tibiæ yellow, the latter piceous towards the tips, tarsi piceous; wings greyish-black towards the costa, excepting a lurid costal streak which extends along half the length from the base; halteres testaceous. Length of the body 6 lines; of the wings 11 lines.

65. CERIA RELICTA, n. s. _Foem._ Nigra, faciei lateribus abdominisque fasciis duabus flavis, antennis ferrugineo variis, pedibus fulvis, alis cinereis costam versus nigris, halteribus stramineis.

_Female._ Black. Head yellow, beneath and in front with the exception of a black stripe on the disk of the face; first and third joints of the antennæ somewhat ferruginous, arista white; thorax with two indistinct yellowish marks on the transverse suture, hind border of the scutellum and hind borders of the second and third abdominal segments yellow; legs tawny, tibiæ paler towards the base; wings green, black for nearly half the breadth from the costa; halteres straw-colour. Length of the body 6 lines; of the wings 11 lines.

This may prove to be the female of _C. relictura_, notwithstanding its great difference from that species in the marks of the thorax and of the abdomen, and in the colour of the legs.

Gen. MICRODON, _Meig._

66. MICRODON FULVICORNIS, n. s. _Mas._ Niger, aureo-subpubescens, antennis, abdomine, pedibus halteribusque fulvis, femoribus nigris, tibiis nigro vittatis, alis fuscis postice cinereis.