Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-06-24
GIGANTIC MODEL OF A FLY
1t Is $4,000 Times Size of Musca
DOmestica.
Once Seen There's Small Wonder That
Nothing in the American Museum
of Natural History Creates
More Interest.

At the American Museum of Natural
History you will find house fly nearly
as big as a cat, and all Its disagreeable-
ness Will dawn upon YOU at once. The
model of the house fly is Is inches long
or $4,000 times the size of the living
Musca domestica. 1t is considered the
most accurate and adequate representa-.
! ton of the external anatomy of the house
fly In existence Not only have the more
striking features been copied. but even
the minor details visible on magniflca-
ton of 10 dametcrs have been executed
with complete accuracy. The eggs,
larva and pupa of the fly, executed in
proportion to the model, are part Of the
group. says the Scientific American.
The model is a graphic illustration of
the life story of the fly Man has foster
ed and tolerated the insect since time
out of mind in all but the coolest climates
Of the world The model shows the short
interval from the time the eggs are laid
in organic refuse to the quick develop
ment of the hungry young grub and the
pushing aside of the hard case with a
loose top segment and the exit of the
perfect insect. 1t is easy to understand
the fly's rapid multiplication. 1t has
been computed that If a fly on June /
lay one of the six installmcnts of 100 eggs
If which it is capable. by September 1t
would have progeny numbering septil-
lions. In figures, by September IS, the
number Of flies resulting from the first
batch of 1876 eggs would be rs 30 705, 90, oo0,-
10000, which in turn would lay 1855 6i.
12,0o1, 6oo,O0o,0o0 eggs This would take
into account an equal division of males
and females. The possibilities for con-
taminaton car be readily conceived
when it is known that the bacteria on
a single fly have been known to range
from go to 6.6Oo,o0O
No one group in the museum has Great
ed more interest than this one of the
house fly a member of the family Of
10000 species of flies in existence. There
is small wonder. OF all insects in a sur
vey in recent years 9s.S per cent We're
house flies.
Ignaz Natausch ahored for more than
a year to produce the fly model and other
parts of the fly group. AS a first step
he studied 200 flies, stupefied with chloro-
form or freshly killed. This was neces-
sary because within half an hour Of
death the color of the fly as we'll as the
surface modenng changes. Even the
color of the eyes was found to change
short time after death. Each specimen
could, therefore, be used only for short
period.
Drawings were made of anatomical
details, and are now in the museum
The head, mouth parts, body and legs
were modelled separately in clay cast in
wax and smoothly finished. polished ana
colored. The eyes were produced with
glass beads. The hardest part of the work
was the insertion Of the hairs with which
the body of the fly Is covered It was
more difficult because the hairs vary IN
lenGh and bend in different directions.
This was finally accomplished by con
sruct,ng each hair of German silver wire
The wings We're modelled in celuloid The
halteres "a rudimentarY second pair of
Wings, the plume-like antennae, the
clubshaped pulps or tasting organs were
all accurately modelled and articulated
into position. \ magnified rectangular
crumb of bread forms tho mount for the
fly.