Evening star., 1900-07-14
BICYCLE BUG PUNCTURES TIRES.
Wheelmen Complain of Depreciation
of Hitherto Unknown Insect.
From the Cincinn, II ENQUIRER

OF n Hitherto Unknown Insect.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
There's new fly in town and suburbs
He's no relation to the kissing or nose bugs,
but he's just as much a nuisance as either
or both combined. This new pest lives on
wind that he gets out of punctured bicycle
tires. anC g does his own puncturing. As
an chronological specimen he is a wonder,
and he skins along in life under the pre-
tentious title of ichneumon. He's not pretty
to look at; too much like a wasp. He can
discount the wasp in devlishness. however.
as he is provided with three business ends,
either of which go through a rubber
tire like hot knife through butter. Mr..
IchEeumon only uses two of his poniards Oh
the tire that Is to furnish him his supply Of
wind-the other he raises as a danger sig
nal to all other vermin in the neighbor hood
warning them to keep off, while his other
two harpoons are getting in their work.
He knows his business thoroughly. As
soon as his two javelins have got down
through the rubber tire to pay dirt wind
you will notice that Mr.. Ichneumon is rap
idly becoming .chesty. AS laborlously
pumped-in wind gently oozes from the tire
a portion of ii enters his little stomach. and
he Swells up like 'piZened pup. with
Just enough energy left after the debauch
to lazlly flap his wings. reef his three Jib-
booms and scud away to sleep off the
effects of an overdose of hot air. This fly
Is no llyIn- "A specimen mas De6n Caught
in the act of stealing wind, and, after being
killed by an endeavor to extract his i'll
gotten gains with stomach pump the ear
cass was deposited in bottle and placed on
exhibition. People-bicycle people-came
from miles around to view the remains. and
they recognized him as an enemy that must
be reckoned with when twenty miles from
home and a punctured wheel in sight
This fly is the species of insect that habit
Tally bores into soft wood to deposit eggs.
The one that made the discovery that Indie
rubber is softer than any wood he ever
struck and. therefore, was just the thing
for a lazy, ',get-rich-quick' specimen IF the
variety must have teephoned his ''ind" to
the rest of the tribe. for it's the real thing
now for Mr.. and Mrs. Ichneumon to snub
all sorts of wooden things and to adop1 a
nice clean safety their hatchery
There's one thing that as yet has not been
demonstrated, and that is whether the lily ls
quick enough to get the eggs into the wheel
before the escaping air brushes him eff the
perch. This must be looked into. If IL is
found that these busy flies have been de-
iuded-that they failed to take into account
the fact that escaping air from noaung
sphere of India rubber is a hard pro position
to go up against and at the same time look
after eggs-perhaps they Will turn IN disgust
from bicycle tires and henceIof; N tackle
nothing harder than cheese. There is real
danger in this vermin. A reputable rcpGirer
of wheels in this vicinity says its n" myth,
but a three-pronged incontrovert:bie TACT
He has prescribed for machines that have
Eeen put out of commission by Mr.. and Mrs.
Ichneumon and he knows what he is taxi
ing about One healthy bicycle bug can
make work for dozen repair shops IN the
course of a season-that is, il Mo assort-
ment of hat pins are kept sharpened and
his stomach is not ruined by his frequent
iibations of rubberized atmosphere.