Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-30
1--WE Haze With
Us This Morning"
BY WOODS HUTCHINSON, M. D.

When you sit down to your break
fast table one of these warm summer
mornings-if they ever come-you
will find an unlimited guest. His
name is Musca Domestica, Dutch
uncle, or, rather, Spanish stepfather,
to the mosquito ("little fly"), and
though he has no sting, he can raise
blister on your angelic disposition
and bump on your Christian forti-
tude as if he were the original Spanish
fly itself. Don't wait to be introduced
to him, or even address him by his
common name, Shoe Fly" for if you
do he will be all over the butter and
into your coffee, but shoot him on
the spot as though he had hauled
down the American flag!
Why should we treat a friendly
visitor, who has simply invited him
self to breakfast, in such an inhos-
pitable, not to say ferqcious, fashion?
First, because he + himself like
Artemus Wards Injuus, "pizen wher-
ever found"
Second, and even more Importantly,
because he is the forerunner, the po-
tential ancestor, of all the swarming
millions that will buzz and crawl and
blacken our food all through the sum-
mer's heat.
1t does seem at first sight rather
cruel to advocate killing at sight,
every chance we get, feeble, harm
less-looking little insect, buzzing hap
PLY from plate to plate and from nose
to nose. Especially as it was part
of the sentimental training of the
young in kindness to animals to be
particularly merciful to flies. fishing
them out Of the milk jug, or the honey
jar, and placing them on the sunny
window-sills, where they could dry
their wings and fly away rejoicing.
We even used to be taught tag of
moral Mother Goose,
"'Tis God hath made the little fly,
And il you crush it, it will die
But modern science has discovered
the true nature of the fly, what
pestilent, little filth-carrying reptile he
is, and entirely declines to recognize
him as one of Gods good creatures.
to whom it is our duty to be kind 1t
is much more inclined to agree with
the Mohammedan proverb, which de-
clares that Flies are the sweat of the
devil" Furthermore, if God created
the fly, it is man that has made him
dangerous and furnished him places
to breed in, by his dirty and untidy
habits. The fly is one OF our domes-
tic animals. We have created him as
he is, and it is up to us to wipe him
out. To paraphrase kipling,
do will he tai
He is not one with the deep
Man, not God, hath made him,
And men not Gods must sweep"-him off
the earth.
From the point Of view Of cruelty to
animals, it is a positive kindness to
kill the early fly, for by one swift,
painless swat you prevent the myriad
slaughter and agony of his hundreds
and thousands of future descendants
by hunger in fly traps, by agonizing
thirst on sticky fly paper, by drown
ing, by poisoning, by burning. The
best way to prevent flies in their dog
day swarms is to put stop to them
before they happen by killing the
patriarchs of all their tribes in early
June. 90.
The strong probability is that the
scattering handful of flies which first
put in an appearance about now in
your dining room and kitchen, or on
your back porch, are not strangers or
newcomers at all, but household pets,
guests of the family who have spent
the winter under your hospitable root.
Insects have various ways OF surviv-
ing the winter and securing the con-
tinuation of their species. Most of
them hibernate through the period OF
frost and cold in the form of eggs OF
larvae, or chrysalises buried deep in
the ground, but the fly, like the bum
blebee, takes his chances on getting
throug h the winter in the adult or