The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-24
POINTS ABOUT THE FLY.
He Has a Tongue Similar to a File.
Some Mysteries About Him.
From the New York Recorder.

Some Mysteries About Him,
From the New York Recorder.
In the first place the common fly-or
house fy-that gets into the milk and
butter and has to be kept from the table
by fans, has wonderful machine that is
carried about to make life possible. The
mouth of the little black scamp is curl
Gus continuance to get food out of impos-
sible places.
This mouth is really nothing more or
less than tongue, which runs in and out
of the head like the tongue of a snake.
When the lowering insect sees a good spot
to light on, where there is a promise of a
meal, he settles down, shakes a leg or
two, and then runs his mouth out ready
for business.
The piece of machinery seems to come
out of the head, and it win always look
that way if you don't take a good peep at
the fly through a glass some day when he
is busy on a lump of sugar, Then you
will see that the tiny black thread just
unfolds from beneath the head, where
there is little socket prepared for it.
When the tongue comes out it spreads,
and the end divides into two broad, fat
leaves that are planted fiat down on the
food that is to be stolen. This is like
nothing so much as pump with a terri
bly, strong draw" that sucks up all the
sweet syrup there may be on the lump of
sugar.
But if the food should be hard, and the
fly cannot get good hold of it, he touches
a little muscle spring, and thesmooth sur
face of his tongue rOughens up like a file.
Back and forth these edges work until
the hard surface is torn and scraped, and
the particles that the fly likes are sucked
up into the stomach.
Then the fly balances on four of his six
legs, and uses the front pair as a napkin,
wiping off his tongue. He is neat little
fellow and never takes mouthful with
out brushing his face carefully, OF
course, it would be far better if he should
use a bit of cloth rather than his hands
they must be hands if four of the others
are feet but it would be a lit awkward
for him to go sailing AROUND with nap
kin tied to his belt 1t would be funny,
too, wouldn't it,
Then the fly gives a sudden flip of his
wings making them go so fast that you can
not see them, and he is off Maybe he
has been chewing the cover of a book,
for there are wonderful fly dainties con
cealed in the coloring matter of the cloth
binding, and then when he skips off he
leaves little spot of white where he has
scraped up the color and eaten it. Maybe
he has been standing on the back of your
hand slipping the perspiration, of which
he is very fond, and then he leaves a
faint red mark and a slight stinging feel
ing.
Don't be alarmed, though, for the house
fly has nothing of poisonous sort in him,
and can not hurt you. Some of his cousins
have a way of biting and leaving sore
places, especially those that drink blood,
but the house fly is not a cannibal. He is
very well civilized.
But we are far ahead of our story We
have not yet seen how the flies are born.
1t is during the hot days of August and
September that most of the eggs are laid,
and as they hatch out in about two weeks
sometimes in less than that-the
swarms of the insects become very thick
at that time AS the cold weather comes,
the flies begin to die off. Many of them
millions-have died natural deaths be-
fore then-the average life of fly is
about nine days-and millions more have
trod unwisely on sticky paper, and per
ished there in the gum
Other millions have taken greedy sips
from deadly sweets that have been spread
out on papers and in dishes to Stay them,
and their dead bodies have been swept
into the dust bin.
Still other millions have tumhled into
the milk and gone bravely into the but
ter, while a few thousands have been
crushed by quick hands or snapped by
rubber bands Countless numbers have
been eaten by the birds, and even Tabby
and Towser have snapped up few hun
dreds.
So, the great fly family has persisted,
and when the first frost comes there are
only a few old grandfathers and grand
mothers buzzing slowly around looking
after the nests of eggs that have been
laid carefully in the hooks and corners to
provide for the spring Then the cold
gets too much for them, and they are
found some cold morning lying on their
backs or sticking fast to a window pane
that is all white around.
So, for some months there are no flies,
and at first we are glad, and spea OF
how nice it is to be without the torrents.
But before the winter is over we are apt
to miss their merry buzzing and feel lone
some without their cherry, busy presence,
and we sometimes catch ourselves wish
ing for fly
With what glee do we hail the first fly
of spring Why he is like the first robin
out on the frosty lawn. We speak about
him at the dinner table. 1t is a great
event
"Pshawr' some one says. II saw fly
a week ago!'
But there-what's the use trying to get
ahead of the folks who are always MOTTO
4AlS AAbblG GIAlllRoF lGS aAS ouIGLO BCdb
you in the long run
How did those two early flies get out2
Where did they come from! Didn't all
the flies die last summer? Yes, yes YOU
are right. All the flies did die last au-
tumn; but before they died they left some
eggs stored away and when the warm
air of spring came these eggs Matched,
and the little orphans crept out-the first
of their kind-and were lonesome at first,
and buzzed about sadly until more came,
and then they were happy, and the whole
business began over again.
When the shell bursts and out comes
the young hy, he is just as big as when he
tries to drag himself from the gum paper
five or six days later.
Mr. Foster Tf,b+est-s,a,,f let me have tt,ot