Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-08-07
Ths aIission Or fine Honse Fls.

The fly when italights rubs its hind
legs together; then each hind leg is
passed over a wing; then the same OPP
Grafton is performed with the fore
legs; and then. if you observe closely,
you will see Mr.. Fly pass his trunk or
proboscis over his legs and about his
body us far as he can reach The
trunk terminates in two large lobes,
which spread out when the insect be-
gins meal and is capable of being
drawn back rapidly bnt though thus
constituted it is not fitted for licking,
but simply for grasping and drawing
up food. What the fly does by flying
around and then alighting and going
through the meneuyers described has
at lenth been successfully investigated
and decided by an English chemist
named Emerson, who carried out his
work by the aid of powerful micro
scope. lie relates that when. he first
conceived the idea of making the inves-
tigation he captured fine specimen aud
glued its wings down to microscope
slide. On placing the slide under the
instrument he found to his disgust the
fly appeared to be
COVERED WITH vERMIN.
lie tried several others, which were
likewise covered with lice, and this
curious coincidence led him to a still
further investigation. Why were the
flies thus afflicted, or was it an attic
ton? Watching one of the flies fast
ened on the slide more closely he OBJ
served the creature extend its probos-
els and sweep it over his body, as
if he had just alighted. Wherever the
lice were the trunk went; they were
disappearing within its recesses; the
fly was actually eating them. At first
he thought this vermin the fy's pro-
geny, but further inyesitation disproy-
ed this.
Dir. Emerson took piece of white
paper, on which two flies had lighted
aud were licking themselves, and put
ting it under the instrument found
some Of the little creatures had fallen
off-crumbs from the table, so to speak.
He then took the paper, went into the
kitchen and waving il around his head,
taking care that no fire touched itdur-
ing the operation, went back to the
microscope and there found animalcules
the same as those found on the flies.
Here he had something definite. They
were not the progeny of the fly, but
auimaicules floating in the air. The
body of the fly is covered witha coarse
long hair, and its quick motions serve
to take them up, as the hairy mouth of
the whale takes up the animalcules of
of the sea. When he gets the net full
the hy retires to his favorite recess on
! the window-sill or ia a quiet corner,
and proceeds to 6evOur his 81
FEAST OF soFT-sHELL CRABS. &.
Mr.. Emerson continued his inyestiga-
tons in variety of places, and the
more dirty and filthy the place, and
the more fetid the odor pervading it,
the richer the harvest he found the
flies had made 10 the aEimalcule line.
While the flies captured in such FL
thy places were usually fat, and pleth-
ORIG, and happy, the flies found in clear
and well-ventilated apartments were
so.lean and miserable that when a
spider caught one of them i'll his par
Tor" he Immediately kicked it out as
not fit to eat. Wherever filth existed,
evolving germs that might generate dis
ease, there MIR. Emerson observed
that the flies were most attracted, and
there they covered themselves with the
minute organism which they greedily
devoured. From this can be deduced
the conclusion that while the mission
of house flies is one Of immense i'm
portance to man, their presence IN I'M
mense number, while it indicates un-
healthy civilizations, also guarantees
immunity from diselse TO some extent
OF course the house fly, which has
penchant for bald heads, ard lights on
the skin only to puncture il and draw
blood is not here taken into account
Such flies should not receive any cred1
it, EVENT. they deserved it.--EccIange.