Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-07-22
EVENING STAR.
Fiy.Traps.
MAI I'D AHhAU VI A RT.
From the Providence Or. IL Jcr

| NATURE AHEAD OF ART.
From the Providence Or. ~ JcrrnslI
| As the season for flies comes on, the drug
| stores will put out their pSpeTs for destroying
these friends of man, and Che groceries will dis
Brown paper that kills the d y mechanically. by
sticking mp his legs and exhausting him in fruit
LEES forts 20 escape; lead colcTed paper that
treacherously allures, Intoxicstes and pOisons;
| green wire traps, filled with bugging swarns
awaiting dimensions into tub or q holocaust
at the kitchen stove, will tempt the money out
OF the pockets of afflicted house keepers All
these contrivances are duh and brutal things.
They are either grossly tIeacherous or whole
anism.
The genius OF nature has ordained that every
species OF animal shall be preyed upon and de-
stroyed by some instructive enemy. But for the
poor ny, or winged insect, she has provided a
double class or enemies. On them prey not only
innumerable species of animals, but also an
abundant variety OF vegetable growths. Ich-
neumons, toads, birds, and spiders butcher the
gentle little fly for food, while innumerable
animals, from mere angry passions, attack and
destroy them. Horses and cows switch tn EN-
with their tails; indeed, THIS seems TO be the
predisposing cause of switchy tails; dogs snap
at them; men slap At them.
We will not suggest so obnoxious or impracti-
cable scheme as substituting these animal.
for the chemical and mechanical trans men
nave invented. An animate horse-tsil will
hardly do to brush flies away from the tables
and toads, however innocent in their inward
habits, are terror to the women and children
Spiders might be left to spin their webs were T.
not for that ConventiOnalism of the ladies' which
links a reputation for neatness with the draw
ings OF broom periodically over ceilings and
coUn the angles of tbe room.
But the vegetable world can furnish us with
hy-traps at once ornamental and effective in
genlous and capricious. In these DAYS, when
herbariums are affected by hoasekeepers, why
could not A window be filed with a curious and
active plant which will work infinite delight
for the observer? The way to do this thins Is
10 secure window-bON which will hold water.
In this put some moses gathered from peat
hogs or marshes, saturate them well with water
ana plant out the common pitcher plant and
the sun-dews of our atlantic coast. The first of
these plants is only q mechanical tran. Its
pitcher is filed nearly with water, which the
fires try to drink, when they fall in and drown.
Naturalfsts tell US that these leaves are so filed
with drowned flies as TO furnish a rich nutri-
ment to the plant.
The sundews are an ingenious and amin ated
predatory flower. They know as much as a
puppy four years old. They can't be fooled
They will eat animal food but they are not ike
the sllly sensitive plant which shuts up at every
touch. Mrs. Treat tells us that her sundews
knew the difference between a piece of meat
and piece of chalk. One they will shut down
upon and the other they will not touch. This
plant spreads out its leaves, which are covered
with little, fine bristles. On their edge they
exude delicious nectar, which the silly little
fly Is fond of. As soon as he puts his proboscis
In the nectar up comes the spires and fsstens
him GOWN. Then the leaf curls over him and
begins to digest him. This is cruel, but far
more comfortable than for the flies to bite and
digest US.