September 22, 1899.
I am much obliged to you for all the points of interesting information in your letter. There is no hurry about figuring the Grouse fly, so that if Mr. Norman would kindly let me have the slide as soon as he thinks it would be safe to use it, I should feel very much obliged. I now enclose the specimen from a lamb. I quieted its very superabundant antics by slipping a little lump of cotton wool down the tube, about a third of the way, and it accepted the soft material moderately. It died afterwards, and I enclose it with some spirits in the tube. I should (if not inconvenient to you to ask), very much like this specimen also set by Mr. Norman, with the wings as they are at present—at rest, but showing the fore-nerves very nicely. I incline to think that if this be certainly O. avicularia, that it would suit better for figuring than the previous specimen as being in the same position as my H. equina and L. cervi, both ♂ and ♀in previous Annual Reports. If you could oblige me with the two slides together I could make what personal observations I want; have which ever seems best figured, and afterwards, if one or both are of interest to you, I would very gladly beg your acceptance. I daresay you will be good enough to let me use your interesting short note about finding the specimen of avicularia alive in the box with the Horned owl.
I am working now on Piophila casei, Linn. (Cheese and Bacon fly, fig. [12]), and hope to make a good paper, with some original observations of my own. Is it not a noteworthy circumstance that besides undoubtedly breeding in myriads in stores of cheese and bacon, that also they come in through the windows in such numbers that wire gauze, or equivalent, is a recognised protective measure? I think this points to there being some home of P. casei that wants looking up.
I did think Brighton might suit me better, but I found there was no suitable house, so I am staying here. I am very glad that you had a pleasant rest, and a beneficial one.
1, Grouse fly, magnified, with line showing natural length; 2, puparium, magnified and natural size; 3, end view, magnified; 4, claw, magnified.
FIG. 69.—GROUSE FLY, ORNITHOMYIA AVICULARIA, LINN.
October 21, 1899.
Messrs. Forshaw and Hawkins, of Liverpool, have written me regarding beetle and maggot presence in flour and meal in two compartments of “Telesford,” from New Orleans to Glasgow. They send me “a deal of”[[86]] report and two tubes with beetles, larvæ and flour. I believe these beetles (and larvæ) to be Tribolium ferrugineum (Rust-red flour beetle), and I enclose four beetles and six maggots. Will you be so very good as to let me know if I am right, and I enclose a telegraph form filled in, which would put me at ease for the present if you would be good enough to send it to me. The reason I am troubling you now is that the small amount of flour in the little tubes has the characteristic (mentioned in Mr. Chittenden’s paper in “Household Insects,” &c., in a Bulletin of U.S.A.) of being greyish. See top of p. 113 as to “Flour Beetles.”
This is quite different from the state of Messrs. Smyth and Co.’s flour, and if you are so good as to confirm my identification I might perhaps be allowed to use the information on our side on Tuesday, when Mr. Blyth comes down about depositions. The Glasgow case has every appearance of being on the road to a lawsuit, but now (after Friday’s experience) I should not be so afraid of giving evidence, if you would make me sure.
