Fly Fungus

A dead male cluster fly, Pollenia sp (Diptera: Calliphoridae), infected with an Entomophthora fungus, probably Entomophthora muscae.

Found on the Warren, Caversham, UK, on 201110-23.

Lygaeid Bug

A tiny bug, probably a Scolopostethus sp (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae).

Photos taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-10-22.

Soldier Fly

A female soldier fly, probably Sargus bipunctatus (Diptera: Stratiomyidae).  Sargus flavipes is similar looking but smaller (6-10mm against 12-13mm; this specimen was definitely longer than 10mm), and comes out earlier in the year (June - September against July - November; this specimen was found in late October).

This photo shows the metallic blue-green abdomen with the orange patches just visible on the first 2 segments.  (The "black abdomen" in Stubbs and Drake might just be a result of them looking at faded museum specimens.)

This photo shows the two white spots (bipunctatus) between the eyes:

Photos taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-10-22.

Hoverfly

From back in mid summer, a hoverfly that doesn't look like a hoverfly: a Brachyopa sp,  possibly Brachyopa bicolor (Diptera: Syrphidae), but there are several other species on the UK list that it could also be.  It was in a woodland clearing, near a recently cut tree stump on which a bacterial mat was growing.

Photos taken in the Wilderness, Whiteknights  Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2011-06-13.

Ahadish Brelstaff

The online version of the 1901 UK Census contains this entry:

Name: Ahadish Brelstaff

Age: 49

Where born: Haughton Le Spring, Durham

Administrative County: North Riding

Civil Parish: Guisborough

Occupation: Milk Seller

The name 'Ahadish' is an error; the man was called 'Obadiah Brelstaff'.  I presume the person (or algorithm) that transcribed the handwritten original misread the 'O' for a curly capital 'A', the 'b' for an 'h', and the small 'a' for an 's'.  (I notice that they have also misspelt the name of 'Houghton le Spring' too.)

Obadiah was the head of the family that adopted my grandfather Walter in 1903. That is how we came to hijack the name 'Brelstaff'.  On a visit to Great Ayton, probably in the early 1970s, Walter took me to see Obadiah's grave in a churchyard there.  The name 'Obadiah' seems to have been handed down for at least 3 generations, see these 3 entries in the 1851 Census records:

Name: Obadiah Brelstaff, Age: 0, Administrative Area: Houghton Le Spring, Hetton Le Hole

Name: Obadiah Brelstaff, Age: 39, Administrative Area: Houghton Le Spring, Hetton Le Hole

Name: Obadiah Brelstaff, Age: 88, Administrative Area: Guisborough