The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-05-29
THE MISSION OF THE FLY.

The generally received opinion about
flies is that, despite limitless ingenuity
expended on patent traps and poisoned
paper, they form one of those ills of life
which, it not being possible entirely te
cure, must perforce be endured with as
good a grace as may be. Consequently
when they ruin our picture frames anG
ceilings, insinuate themselves into our milk
and molasses pitchers, or lull us to SLEEP
with their drowsy buzzing, only to bite US
during our slumbers and render the same
uneasy, we thank fate that the cold weather
will rid us of the pest. To be sure they
are scavengers in their way; but after we
have spent several minutes in picking a
score or more out of the butter dish, we
arrive at the conclusion that it is an open
question whether they do not spoil more
good material than they carry off bad.
Fsstina lente good reader, hasten slowly
and do not anchor faith to such opinions
until you are certain that the above sum
up all of the fly's mission in this world.
Musca domestica Science uses six syllables
in Latin to express that which good round
| Saxon epitomizes in two) is maligned
insect. He fulfills purpose of sufficient
moment to cause you to bear his inroads
into your morning nap with equanimity, OF
even complacently to view him congregated
| by the score within your hidden sweets.
Did you ever watch fly who has just
alighted after soaring about the room for
some little time? He goes through series
of operations which remind you of a cat
licking herself after meal, or Of a bird
plumng its feathers. First, the hind feet
are rubbed together, then each hind leg is
passed over a wing, then the fore legs
undergo like treatment; and lastly, if
you look sharp, you will see the insect
carry his proboscis over his legs and about
his body as far as he can reach. The
minute trunk is perfectly retractile, and it
terminates in two large lobes, which you
can see spread out when the insect begins
meal on lump of sugar Now the rub
bling together of legs and wings may be a
smoothing operation; but for what purpose
is this carefully going over the body with
the trunk, especially when that organ is
not fitted for licking, but simply for grasp
ing and sucking up food.
This query, which perhaps may have
suggested itself to thousands, has recently
for the first time been answered by Mr..
Emerson, an English chemist; and GER
tainly in the light of the revelations of that
gentleman's Investigations, the fly assumes
the position of an important friend instead
of pest to mankind. Mr.. Emerson states
that he began his self-appointed task of
finding out whether the house fly really
serves any appreciate purpose in the
scheme of creation, excepting as an indif-
ferent scavenger, by capturing fine speci-
men and gluing his wings down to micro
scope slide. On placing the slide under
the instrument, to the Investigators dis
gust the fly appeared covered with lice,
causing the offending insect to be promptly
released and another substituted in his
place. Fly No. 2 was no better off than
fly No. /, and as the same might be predi-
Gated of flies 3, 4, (or of n flies, as the
algebras have it), Mr.. Emerson concluded
that here was something which at once
required looking into. Why were the flies
lousy? Meanwhile fly No. 9, on the slide
seemed to take his position very coolly,
and, extending his proboscs, began to
sweep it over his body as if he had just
alighted. A glance through the micro
scope, however, showed that the operation
was not one of Standardization; for
wherever the lice were, there the trunk
went. The lice were disappearing into the
trunk; the fly was eating them. Up to
this time, the investigator had treated his
specimen as of the masculine gender; but
now he changes his mind and concludes it
to be female, busly devouring not lice
but her own progeny. The flies then carry
their young about them; and when the
family get too numerous or the mother too
hungry, the offspring are eaten.
Awhile reasoning thus, Mr.. Emerson
picked up scrap of white writing paper,
from which two flies appeared to be busily
eating something, and put it under the
instrument. There were the progeny again
on the paper, and easily rubbed off with a
cloth. "This," he says, "set me thinking.
| took the paper into the kitchen again
and waved it around, taking care that no
flies touched it, went back to the micro
scope and there found animalcules, the
same as on flies. l had now arrived at
something definite; they were not the pro-
geny of the fly, but aninlalcules floating in
the air; and the quick motions of the flies
gathered them on their bodies, and the
flies then went into some quiet corner to
have their dainty meal"
The Investigator goes on to describe how
he continued the experiment in a variety
of localities, and how, in dirty and bad
smelling quarters, he found the myriads of
flies which existed there literally covered
with animalcules, while other flies, cap
tured in bed rooms or well ventilated, clean
apartments, were miserably lean and en-
tirely free from their prey. Wherever filth
existed, evolving germs which might gen.
crate disease, there were the flies, covering
themselves with the minute organisms and
greedily devouring the same.
Mr.. Emerson, while thus proving the
utility of the fly, has added another and
lower link to that curious and necessary
chain of destruction which exists in ami
mated nature. These infintesimal animal
cules form food for the flies, the flies for
the spiders, the spiders for the birds, the
birds for the quadrupeds, and SO on up to
the last of the series, serving the same
purpose to man. He certainly deserves
credit for an interesting and novel investi-
CATION, and for an intelligent discernment
which might even attack the more difficult
task of teaching us the uses-for Nature
makes nothing without some beneficial
end-Of the animalcules themselves.