The Lamar register., 1891-10-10
1T GROWS FAT ON FLIES.
THE SPANISH FLY RAISES a
BLISTER AT A TOUCH.
Yet This bird Thrivcs ou Them and NJ.
'eiops Into Table Luxury of tn,
Iirst Cias. Eaten,
Always Wanted.

lou would scarcely suppose that n
bird which fattens itself on an I,sac,
that viii raise blister on your sesb
almost as quick as coal of fire will
would be much OF a table lu,urv
would youPn inquired the learned
grocer OF Eighth avenue of AN V
Sun reporter as he hooked a macxerel
out OF the kit for consumer.
Pew people up north ever heard of
the bird, | guess, much less ever tast-
ed one, but every one knows the spon.
ish ny. A fly blister used 10 be as
common rs collie, and some folks used
to say that 1t was easy TO loco anv one
II you could get him to eat ANYTHING
thht a Spanish Ay had been put ipto,
But maybe you don't know what IL is
To loco any one. Well. the old darkev
hoodoo doctors OF the south will tell
you that II you want TO make n Girl
love you all you have TO do is TO put
some part OF Spanish fy into IN ap-
pie or ice cream or au oyster stew, or
anything you treat her TO. and that
when she eats the fruit or the dish
she'll be crazy after You. That's what
they call being locoed. don't know
whether the Spanish fy will do that
or not but no one ever tasted one OF
these birds | am speaking OF without
being crazy for them ever after. and
they don't iced on anythin. exccp,
Spanish hics in the season when the
bird is sought for food. don't saw
That people who eat them are locoed
6y the birds, but maybe they are.
! never saw these birds anywhere
except in southern Louisiana but
suppose they abound wherever the
spanish rs is plentiful The bird is
called the papabote. and folks who
know say Il belongs to the pIover fami-
u IL i OF tho size OF the woodcock.
with sober gray plumage and a short
hard bill The coming Of the Spanish
NJ on tho foliage in the localities that
II frequcnts Is sudden and mysterious
NOBODY knows whence II comes or
whittier 1t goes 1t disappears as mys-
teriou-iy as It comes. IL is one OF the
most destructive insects that lives. a.
II comes In countless myriads and de-
yours ravenously growing vegetable
plants. The papabote comes with the
hy, remains until Il disappears. and
consumes untold millions ofthe insects
The birds grow 80 fat that they are lust
balls covered with feathers. and when
they fall before the gun of the sports
man they invariably burst open, like
ovcrripc fruit
he hunter who goes out with his
dog and his gun, though with the OK
peeiauon OF hllIng his bag after the
regulation methods OF the scientifc
gunner. viii return without his game,
for the pNpahote is the shyest OF birds,
and can DC approached within gun
shot In only one way for. unlike all
weu-known game birds il will not
crouch to the hunting dog. The bird
is heavy Of wing. and probably fer
that reason rises Ia fight long before
the hunter Is within range. l. can be
shot In no way considered sportsman-
like. bot must DC approached by means
OF s horse and wagon. The bird will
permit h0rse to gHlk up close TO IL
a=d In open buggiss or spring wagons
the hunters ride about among the feed
lag grounds Of the papabote. their
GIa- lyIng across their laps. and they
" WiuE the birds ~ thay rise on every
siLu when the wagon has got nearer
than the birds considered safe. The
birds are considered such an incompar-
able ds!icacy among the epicurcs OF
Louisiana that small armies of men
mako a great deal OF money during the
season by shooting Papabotes for
market II Is said that there Is not
case on record OF a person who had
once tasted a pnpabote, fatteued on
nics- who did not have an irresistible
inclination for more