4 years ago, I traveled to Australia and 3 years ago in New Zealand and drove through Ballarat.

I found in the book he was talking about Australia on this topic:

The Green Ballarat Fly--False Teeth--From Napier to Hastings by the Ballarat Fly Train

Ballarat in au was a mining town

I found in the book that he put both countries in 1 paragraph, 1st was about insects in Ballarat AU and
Second a fast train in New Zealand


This morning we had one of
those whizzing green Ballarat flies in the room, with his stunning
buzz-saw noise--the swiftest creature in the world except the
lightning-flash. It is a stupendous force that is stored up in that
little body. If we had it in a ship in the same proportion, we could spin
from Liverpool to New York in the space of an hour--the time it takes to
eat luncheon.  The New Zealand express train is called the Ballarat Fly


I did not see the flies in AU as it was winter there when I went. Everything was in hibernation.

Perhaps you can contact the historian in Ballarat New Zealand to find out more.


Jules


-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott Holmes
Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2018 2:24 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Ballarat Flies

I'm still searching for that Ballarat fly.  Miriam Jones Shillingsburg speculates that he found the name of the train while reading train schedules in Napier, New Zealand but the only name for that train I've found is the "Napier Express".  I've also searched for that energetic green fly he saw in this hotel room, to no avail.  I've tried inquiring both train specialists and entomologists to no avail.  The only Ballarat fly of record is a fishing lure created in Ballarat, Australia.  As far as I've been able to tell, Twain never showed any interest in fly fishing.
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