The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-07-08
THE MISSION OF THE FLY.

Why are flies? has been a perpetual
query with housekeepers and persons
who would take MONDAY maps in hot
weather. The question has been an
swered by Mr.. Emerson, an English
Chemist, whose experiments are re-
corded in the "Scientitic American"
In the light of the revelations of that
gentleman's investigations, the fly as
sumes the position of an Important
friend instead of pest to mankind.
Did YOU ever watch a fly who has
inst alighted after soaring about the
room for some little time? He goes
through series of operations which
remind YOU of cat licking herself al
ter meal, or of bird pluming its
feathers First, the hind feet are
rubbed together, than each hind leg is
PASSED over wing, then the fore legs
undergo like treatment; and lastly,
YOU will see the insect carry his pro-
boscs over his legs and about his body
as far as he can reach. The minute
trunk is perfectly retractile, and it ter
inmates in two large lobes, which you
can see spread out when the insect be-
gins a meal on a lump of sugar. Now
the rubbing together Of legs and wings
NAV be smoothing operation; but for
what purpose is this carefully going
over the body with the trunk, cspe-
cially when that organ is not fitted for
licking, but simply for grasping and
sucking up food.
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 Indifferent
scavenger, by capturing fine specimen
and glung his wings down to micro
scope slide On placing the slide I'M
der the instrument, to the Investigators
disgust, the fly appeared covered with
minute insects, causing the offending
insect to be promptly released, and
another substituted in his place Ely
No was no better off than fly No. l,
and as the same might be predicatcd of
flies 3, 4, and 5, Mr.. Emerson con-
cluded that here was something which
at once required looking into Mean
while, fly No 3, on the slide, seemed to
take his position very coolly, and, ex-
tending his proboscis, began to sweep
it over his body as if he had just
alighted. A glance through the micro
scope, however, showed that the opera
ton was not one of standardization
for wherever the affecting insects were
there the trunk went They were dis
appearing into the trunk; the fly was
eating them.
He took the paper into the kitchen
and waved it around, taking care that
no flies touched it, went back to the
microscope and there found animalcules
the same as on flies. He had now ar
rived at something definite; the ami
macules were 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 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, captured in bed rooms
or well-ventilated, clean apartments,
were miserably lean and cntirly free
from their prey. Wherever filth exis-
ted, evolving germs which might gen
crate disease, there were the flies, COW
ering themselves with the minute
organisms, and speedily devouring the
same