Intracellular recording and dye injection have directly demonstrated the absolute and spectral sensitivities of R7 and R8 in the eye of Calliphora. R8 has major peak of sensitivity at 547 nm with less than half the bandwidth of a theoretical rhodopsin, and a subsidiary peak at 358 nm. R7 is confirmed as being an ultraviolet receptor. Both have absolute sensitivities similar to those of R 1 -6. These results are inconsistent with the scotopic (R1-6), photopic (R7 and R8) theory of fly vision.