Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1893-08-31
The FLY AND HIS WAYS.
Nature Has Provided Him with . Tongxs
similar to q FILE.

house fy-that gets into h mix ana
butter and has to be kept from the
table by fans hasa wonderful machine
that is carried about to make Life pos
sible. The mouth of the little black
scamp is a curious continuance TO get
food out OF impossible places
This mouth is really nothing more on
less than q tongue. which runs in and
out of the head like the tongue of q
snake. When the lowering insect sees
a good spot to light n where there Is
n prospect Of a meal, he settles down,
shakes a leg or two. and then runs his
mouth out ready for business
This piece of machinery seems to come
out of the head. and it will always look
that way IL you don't take a good peep
at the fly through u glass some day
when he is busy on n lump of sugar.
Then o will see that the tiny black
thread Just unfolds from beneath the
head, where there is \ little socket pre-
pared for it.
When the tongue comes out il 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 a pump with
n terribly strong draw" that sucks up
all the sweet strip there may be on b
lump of sugar.
But il the food should be hard and
the fly cannot get a good hold of it he
touches n little muscle spring and the
smooth surface of his tongue roughens
up like a file. Back and forth these
edges work until the lard surface Is
torn and scraped. and the particles that
the fy likes are sucked up into the
stomach
Then the sy balances on four of his
six legs and uses the front pair as a
napkin. wiping Oft his tongue. He Is a
neat little fellow and never takes a
mouthfuI without brushing his face
carefully OF course il would be far
better IL he should use a bit of cloth
rather than his hands-they must be
hansES Il four Of the others are feet
but il would be a bit awkward for him
To 70 sailing around with q napkin
tied 10 his belt IL would be funny.
too wouldn't it,
Then the Ey gives . Sudden flip of
his wings making them 90 so fast that
ron cannot see them. aud he Is of.
MAYBE he has been chewing the cover
II a book for there are wonderful fly
GafusieS concealed in the eoloring mat
ter Of the cloth binding. and then when
lie skins % he leaves a little spot Of
white where he has Scraped up the coli
OF aud eaten IL Maybe he has been
standing on the back Of your hand sip
ping the preparation, of which he is
very ford and thea be leaves a faint
r~,l mark and \ slight singing feeling.
Dent be alarmed though. for the
house av has nothing of a poisonous
Ssrt IN aim ard cannot hurt you Some
Of his cousins have a way OF biting and
leaving Ssrc places especially those
that drink blood. but the house fly is
not a cannihaL lie Is very well civil
izesL
Bu. we are Tar ahead OF our story.
We have not seen ret how the flies are
bern IL j. durin- the hot DAYS Of Au-
gust and September hat most of the
eggs arr laid ans4 as shey hatch out in
ah.lue two weekS-aounrtirneS in less
shaa that-tA~ ~warnnS 81 the insects
become very thick AZ that time. As
the cold weather comes the aies begin
10 dir Of Many Of them. millions
have diea natural deaths before then
the av~rag~ life u a sy Is about nine
day-1na millions Hore have trod I'M
wisely en- sticky paper, and persisted
there in the gum
Other millions have taken greedy
sips frusn deadly sweets that have been
spread IA on papers and in dishes %
slay them. and their dead bodies have
been swept away into the dust bin.
Still other millions have tumhled into
the Gsilk and gone braveIy into the
butter, while a few thousand have been
crushed by quick hands or snapped by
rubber bands Countless numbers have
been eaten by the birds. and even Tab
by and Towser have snapped up a few
hundreds.
So the great fly family has persisted,
and when the first frosts come there
are only u few old grandfathers and
grandmothers 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 Il
q window pane hat is all white around
So for some months there are no flies,
and at first we are glad and speak Of
how nice it is to be without the tor
ments But before the winter Is over
we are apt to miss their merry buzzina
and feel lonesome without their cheery
busy presence. aud we sometimes catch
ourselves wishing for a fly.
With what glee do we hail the first
fly of spring. Why. he is like the frs
robin out on the frosty lawn. W.
speak about him at the dinner table
IL is a great event.
"Pshawr' someone SAYS II saw a a,
. week ago.
But there, what's the use of trying Il
get ahead of folks that are AWAY,
noticing little things? They are sur,
To beat you in the long run
How did those two early dies yet
out? Where did they come from,
Didn't all the dies die last autumn.
e yess You are right All the die,
did die last autumn, but before the,
died they left some eggs stored AWAY
and when the warm air Of spring cam
these eggs Matched. and the little or
phans crept out. the first of their kind
and were lonesome at first. and buxz~,
about sadly until more came and the,
they were happy, and the whole busi
ness began over again
When the she'll bursts and out come,