The evening times., 1898-09-08
THE WONDERFUL FLY.
Nature Has Provided Well for the
Insect Scayengcr.
(From the Kansas City Star. }


The humble househy is one of the old
est and always has been one of the mos,
distinguished of insects. He was Wor-
SHIPPED by the ancients and placed as
constellation in the heavens. The fhiI-
istines sacrificed to Beeizebub as God OF
flies and the Cyreneans 10 Achor. The
Greeks offered an OK every year 20 Zeus
ApomyiOs in honor of the god OF Mes
and the Romans sacrificed yearly in the
temple OF Heracles Victor in Rome. The
Syrians too, tried to appease the trouble
some god The Koran of the Mahomet-
ans promised that "all flies shall perish
except one, and that is the bee NY
Despite their antiquity. flies are still
something of mystery, and 1t was NOT
until 1884 that DR.. ]. f. Rombout,
French entomologist. discovered and ad.
Vocated the correct theory or now
housefiy walks on a ceiling. DR.. Rom
bout proved that the fly clings 10 a
smooth surface by a capillary force. the
molecular action between solid ana nqulu
substances. The insects feet are covered
with many thousands OF fine hairs, eacn
Of which terminates in bulb
Through these hairs runs thin liquid
that seeps through in tiny drop al the
end When several thousands of these
drops have been fastened 10 a window
pane or ceiling. there Is no difficulty at
| ALI for the fly to hang on. and no difficulty
! for him 10 release himself instantane-
ously.
Rombout. in the course oS his expert
ments. discovered other very interesting
things about the fly. Each OF the TWO
| wings of the insect is provided with hairs
! on the under side that serve as fine
brush TO clean the feet When fly rubs
| his legs he is not always washing his
| body. but IS often removing the dust par
| ticles from the hair in his feet that the
| fluid may run better The feet must be
| kent clean or the fly cannot cling 10 a
surface He finds ii impossible TO walk
| across Il pane covered with dust, and
! oily surfaces cause the liquid from his
| feet 10 run together, so that he is apt 10
| slip.
Under the wings OF fly is a pair of
| balancers. little threads that terminate
| each In a oval button. When the fly is
on the wing these buttons expand and
| guide the flight. A fly has no lungs, but
| breathes by spiracles or breathing pores
| that lie open all over his body and con
meet with an intricate system of air tubes
| These spiracles are protected from the
| dust by networks of fine, fiimy hbers
that look something like an exquisite
| lacework.
The chief value of the fly lies in his
scavengng qualities. Indeed, some scien
fists say that without his assistance
man would not be able TO live in the TEN
perate zone. The fly feeds on both liq
uids and solids. His mouth is shaped
something like a pump. and he sips per
spiration and saliva. his favorite foods
through fine and cunning tubes. Solid:
he reduces to liquids before he swallow:
| them by a process of secretion. He Is
voracious eater, and lives largely on th'
juices of decaying meat, fruit. and vege
tables Linnaeus the Swede, ASSERTED
that three flies with their progeny coult
devour a dead horse as quickly as
lion could. 1t has been estimated b!
scientists that fly can multiply him
self two hundred times every twenty
four hours. Each newborn fly become
full grown in four or five days.
! Nature has provided well for the fly II
his powers of flight and ability to escap
from danger. He is supplied with 100
separate eyes that never sleep. and ca
look either in front or behind. Each ey
Is separate and of peculiar construction
shaped like heXagon. When alarme
the fly leaps swiftly from his restin
place into the air, detaching his legs wit
no apparent difficulty. After the frs
bound he is generally out of danger, an
, resumes his leisurely fight. If he chooses
however, he can f1y twenty-five or thirt
| feet in second.