LESSON 21 THE HOUSE FLY

THE HOUSE FLY

1. Perhaps the insect that we know best is the common two-winged house fly. It is to be found in all countries, and on ships far out at sea. Wherever man goes, there too goes the house fly.

2. If you look closely at one, you will see that the red-brown eyes almost cover the whole of the head, that the trunk is short compared [1] with that of other insects, and that the neck is very short and thin.

3. The two wings are finely veined, and shine with all the colours of the rainbow as the light plays upon them.

4. The house fly is by no means a welcome visitor. We do not care to find that one or two are drowned in the milk, or in a fresh cup of tea, or caught in the jam or honey.

5. The house fly is a danger to health. It does not care whether its food is clean or not, and may be seen crawling over all kinds of filth.

6. From this it will fly to the butter dish, or walk over the meat, and leave seeds of disease behind it. We should have less sickness if we could keep our houses free from flies. How is this to be done?

7. Some people try to do it by closing all the doors and windows. This is a mistake. It is better to have fresh air and sunshine with the house fly, than foul air without it.

8. Some people keep out the house fly and mosquito by fitting a close wire gauze to their doors and windows. By this means they get the fresh air, without the house fly. This is done in some schools in the west of Queensland.

9. But, if we cannot get rid of flies altogether, we can greatly lessen their numbers by seeing that the house and all around it are kept quite free from dirt. If this is not done, the flies will increase in number.

10. The fly is a true insect, and passes through the four stages of insect life. The mother fly lays her eggs in the dirt. Where a horse is kept, the eggs will be laid in the dirt about the stable. The grub lives on the dirt, and the pupa [2] lies in it. Remove the dirt and you get rid of the fly.

11. Farmers in America have found a way to keep down the number of flies. They throw a fine spray [3] of kerosene over the stable dirt, and this destroys the flies' eggs. Fleas, too, lay their eggs in the dust on the floors of houses.

12. Sweep the dust away, wash the floors often, and you get rid of fleas. Both fleas and flies carry disease. The plague in India was spread by fleas; flies in Queensland spread diseases of the eye. Boys and girls should be careful not to let the flies crawl on their faces, and get to their eyes.

13. A rough veil to keep the flies from the face can easily be made. Take a number of short threads, hang them from the brim of the hat, and put a small, thin piece of cork at the end of each thread. The flies will not pass the bobbing [4] pieces of cork.

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[1] compared: Placed side by side in order to be judged.

[2] pupa: The third stage in the fly's life.

[3] spray: Shower of tiny drops.

[4] bobbing: Jumping up and down.