Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-21
B-ARRELED FLIES,
Prepared Food for Birds and Other
Pets.

Pets.
From the Phad, lphia Times.
IL you are the owner of mocking bird
or a gold fish or a chameleon. which you
wear chained to your manly womanly
but erratic. bosom, much to the consterna-
uon OF your nerve-racked friends. you have
probably had occasion to call on j. H.
Wehrmann. the old bird man. on South
9th street. for the purpose of buying food
for your pet.
When you got there he probably Offered
you your choice of either dried flies or
ants eggs. in quantities to suit the size
of your purse or the stomachc capacity of
the said pet.
You may have been startled the first
time at these offers, but if you We're Gu
rious enough to inquire you learned that
both are very common articles of diet for
imprisoned birds and REPTILES, and that
they are imported to this country by the
barrel.
The flies are obtained from Mexico. They
live in the swamps in various sections of
the country and the individual insect is
called the moscos. 1t is small and deli
cate-much more delicate than that omniy-
orous scavenger, the common house fly
and its whole body has the appearance
of having been gilded. In life ii must be
beautiful. 1t Is perfectly harmless. The
flies swarm by the thousands and millions
and are captured in silken nets by men
who make it their business. Great quanti-
ties Of them are cured or dried in the
City of Mexico and other towns further
east. Most of them that are shipped to
the United States come through Laredo.
Texas They are packed and sold by the
barrel
Mr.. Wehrmann usually buys them in ten
barrel lots and retails them in small guam
titles. You can get large envelope about
half full for 10 cents. and from this you
can judge that a barrelful of them must
cost pretty penny.
The ants eggs are brought from Ger
many, mainly from point near Ham,
burg. In the Black Forest lives mons eF
ant. and the eggs are deposited In the
ground in such numbers that when a nest
is uncovered it is just like digging into a
wheat bin where the egg hunters COM
mence work with their shovels.
After being dried they are packed in bar
rels and shipped to the different parts of
the world by the firms engaged in the bust
| ness. The supply for this country is dis
tributed through New York.
Now, if somebody will only start a flea
catching industry or bed bug brigade we
will not only be wiser. but happier.
An Orange Party for the Children.
From the New York Times
Many of you will be thinking of and
| n aking plans already for the Thanksgiv-
ing and Christmas holidays, when a few
days out of school will give you chance
for some good times. III you are planning
a little party for your young friends and
playmates an orange party is a pretty form
for 1t to take. This is managed very easily
The room should be decorated in orange
color, a few yards Of cheese cloth. cotton
| crepe. or any of the inexpensive fabrics
answering for the purpose. Festoons should
be draped over the doors, windows and
mantels and on chandeliers and wherever
| it seems TO be needed, the object being to
give the room a decided orange setting.
If an orange tree can be provided, and if
it Is near Christmas time Christmas tree
can be had for the purpose very pretty
| feature will be secured. 1t should be hung
with oranges-the real ones if you like, or
| the mock ones, easily made from balls of
| Gotten covered with orange silk. The in
| vitationS should be sent out on orange
paper. or. If that is not easily got, with
| a little orange and branch painted in one
| corner Of a white sheet. The guests should
| be asked to wear an orange how on their
white dresses in the case Of girls. or on the
| coats Of boys. unless 1t 10 wished to have
| all appear In orange frocks, which will add
| to the correctness of the scheme. The boys
| In this case may wear SaShes of orange
cheese cloth or crepe. The refreshments
| should be orange jelly, orange baskets filled
with candies. oranges. orange ice and any
other orange goodies that you may wish to
| provide.