The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-08-26
The BrinkerhOH Trap.


we have. This is fact which has es-
capped the notice of naturalists, probably
because it is perfectly obvious. In q
wet season the flies seem to grow dis
couraged, andeither conceal themselves
IN sheltered places or migrate to drier
climates. A prolonged drought, how
ever, fills the air with dies, and during
the recent hot and dry weather the
whole country has been covered with
vast areas of flies. Of course the weath-
er bureau has said nothing about it, as
it has been too busy in prophesying rain
and lower temperature. It is well
known, nevertheless, that, in point of
flies, the present summer has been who'll
| ~ unprecedented, except, perhaps, dur
ing the period when Moses was lavish
ing Objectionable insects on the land of
Egypt with the hope of bringing Pha-
rsah to listen to reason. .'#a .1'l
The invention recently patented by
Mr.. II. I. Brinkerhoff, of Scranton, Pa,
as a protection against flies has been
brought before the public at an exceed
ingly opportune moment. Hitherto all
devices designed to protect people from
flies have proved failures. There are
dozens of fy-traps of different patterns
In existence, but none of them is of
much practical value. The aim of the
inventor has been, in all cases, to kill
Ties, either by poison or violence, and
though an occasional fly has fallen a
victim to fly-trap, the effect of idimin-
ishing the untold myriads of flies has
been inappreciable.
The trouble with all these inventions
has been that they appealed merely to
the fiy's stomach. They have been
baited with molasses or. with some nal
atable poison and the inventors have
assumed that flies are always hungry
and SO reckless in their choice, of food.
that they could not resist the attraction
OF the bait. There neveriwas d greater.
mistake made than the assumption that
gluttony is the, master passion of the fly.
vi course, he requires food and at times
feels the pangs of hunger, but he iso
really al abstemious insect who cares
very little for the pleasures of the
table. Experience ought to have taught
US this long ago. Times without num-
Der has the hopeful housewife prepared
fly-poison that ought, one would think,
to have made any fy's mouth water
but she has seen it passed by unnotioed
by "a whole roomful of flies. The fiy is
SO independent of his stomach that he
can live weeks without food. In manv,
country houses the, spare bedroom Is
frequently kept closed for months at j
time, but the flies are shut up in it.
without particle of food except
woolen carpets and vanished furniture,
are found to be in the best of health
1and spirits when the room is finally
opened for the accommodation of an
aunt or cousin. Obviously, an insect
that cares no more for the pleastresof
the table than does the fly cannot be
successfully entrapped BY appea ifng to ]
his stomach. The mouse can be tempt-s
ed with cheese; the cats strongest res
olutions break down when brought face
to face with attainable fish and even the
most upright dog is sometimes unable
to resist the temptation of q bone. AMI
mails like these can be caught In traps
baited with their favorite food, but it is
mere waste Of time to try to lure the
fy to his ruin by tempting his appetite.
MIR. Brinkerhof has had the penetrae
ton to perceive that the master passion
of the fly is a love of malicious sport. /.
The fly will always abandon the table
for the sake of dancing on bald head. /
The delight which he takes in this rep
rehensible sport is heightened by the
struggles OF thelvictim. Though driven
away a dozen times by wild blows with /.
the palm of the hand or with fan, the
fly will return the thirteenth time with
undiminished zest. In fact the excite
ment OF constantly avoiding blows gives
him additional pleasure, and as long as.
the bald-headed manis within reach the
fly will hover over him and dance away
the giddy hours with Unsuitable delight.
knowing that a bald head is the one
temptation that no fly can resist, Mr.
Brinkerhof has contrived trap based
upon the knowledge Of this fact. The
&" Brinkerlioff fiy-trap'' consists of a.,
ife-sized figure of q middle-agec man
with bald head. The figure Is made
OF wax, ,acolored so as to perfectly imi.
tate the complexion Of a middle-aged
and healthy diner-out, and the head is
SO constructed that at fixed intervals of
fifteen minutes concealed clock-work
causes q roller to pass over. the skull
with the rapidity OF lightning. The
Brinkerhof trap, when placed in any
room, will Instantly attract every fy
present. 1t is, to all appearances, pre-
cisely the kind of man whom fires de-
light to annoy, and consequently, the.
moment a fly sees it, he viii abandon
lump of sugar, bowl of milk, or even
q sleeping baby, and pounce on the
bald head. At the end of fifteen min
utes the roller passes overthe head and
crushes every fly in its path. The same
process is repeated over and over again
until all the. flies in the room are exter-
minated! The trap has been tried in
several of the leading restaurants in
Philadelphia with complete success,
killing, on an average, thirty full quarts
OF flies per hour, and the inventor has
received thousands of certificates, from
leading citizens expressing their obliga-
tions to him. and their determination
never to be without Brinkerhoff trap.
This shows US what can be accom-
plished by an intelligent inventor who
is q thorough master of his subject.
Mr.. Brinkerhoff owes his success to his
thorough knowledge of the nature OF
flies. and his tran will undoub< n A.,