miscellaneous. WHERE THE HOUSE FLY BREEDS.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1642, 13 January 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

miscellaneous. WHERE THE HOUSE FLY BREEDS.

As " fly time" approaches every housekeeper 'wonders where and how the increasing swarms of pests multiply so rapidiy. The eggs, mere whitish specks to the unaided eye, are laid in 'little agglutinated' piles in warm manure 1 'or, in" 'decomposing .vegeta? tioh, especially 'that about out stables ami' barn yards'. ,'From eighty to 1 onehuridred are laid at a time, and probably at three to four different intervals by the same' fly, though on this point we have no exact 'data. [ Within twenty-four bloursin sutiimer they hatch into footless maggots, which,' after rioting in/ filtti, till their tender skins seem ( tea.dy f r t6 hurst from repletion, b'icojije'iqU-feft in less than a week,' 'a,nd defending into, the earth, 'or 1 sheltering under some old .board, contract to brown, 'shining objects, rounded at both! ends, and technically known as puparia, Within the darkness of this 'hardened skin profound changes rapidly 1 t&ke, place, anft' th<£, insect passes through the pupa to the perfect state, F and finally, in about five days, the anteriorend of' the, pUparium' is 'pushed* off, atod tMe Ay quickly|Wawls ; Bufc| 'At first its jiarts are paje and soft, 1 and its 'wings are crtfmpled and 1 u^le^s.but these sooh 'expand, and' suddenly^ 1 '"without practice^r teaching^ the hew fledged, fly wings its' way to .Jour' tabl'e !^6 ! mdpl£ your Jdispleasi|re— to n " Bh'we. { 'ypfy 'r&past)"» The length p,f time ' ; r%uj^' from' hatching to mpur'illy'ykTies'witfi' fh'e seak'o^lUhd' '#mjperaiure, but "wjU not 'exceed', fen days' tn inid-. summer, 'while the life of the perfect fly lasts about '&y&e p yee^;^t''ffie\sanfe' seaspp. ] "A4'\ cold weather^ approaches propagation 'ceased, s»nd theoldef fliea^eriah,' A'few.of the 'more ■yijffipom' {&&&&] n^Weveif, r^'treaf 'to » some %bdk or!critonV, Mere,' in 1 ' a siaW'pl 'torpbrj " "tbey'stir^ve^intil'the 1 ttHMqAl^- links' ''iCviitM 6um6ier'gonel]y arid to cbM The' msect j^ay n M < tiibl3f||ttel ! in*tHfe MJa state f 'g^ountf. iS f-l'n f {tßoni'rf Hpjft cdntinudusly fce'^them Jatitldes,'the'fl^ ! Maiksi faY»f aY» -fl# winlMM' eur^palacW

Florida daring the coldest months of the year .7- Scientific Avierfcan. . A - ELECTRIC LIGHTS IJ£ SEIT MBIUNG. JL*.Fij|kch paper reports a $rial by~governapnt permission of an electric lure for sea Mati. , It consists of an electric light in a glass ftbb^jWith a device for sinking it to the de«i|ed'aepth. As soon aa the light is turned 3P sea <( jn its .Yicjnity is illuminated brilliantly/Wnd the-vfi"sn£jover--wndm light is well known- to exercise an irresistible influence at night, come eagerly, aid "sometimes in large schools, within the rays. They may be seen Jrom,aboye^di^p,oriiflg . themselves in the^ unaccustomed brightness, and little dreaming of the sinister purpose iyith which the 'littlet foteis organised for thenf." It is then that other fishing boats', armed with 1 nets, come up and set to work at the unconscious victims, which 'they surround as well as they can without interferihg with the apparatus connected with the lighted globe. It may besupposed that this device is calculated to operate with much deadly effect whenever, it is used '; and'there seems' to be much' doubt whether it will ever be allowed as d recognised kind of fishing within territorial waters. Indeed, the license granted by the government is said to be merely provisional, and for the purpose of testing the new machine. — Scientific Avterican. ' '

INFLUENCE OF EAKLY FEEDINO UPON VITALITY. Investigations made in Germany, concerning the comparative vitality of children under various methods of feeding, exhibit some peculiar results. Thus, of 100 children nursed by their mothers only 18*2 died during the first year'; of .those nursed by wet nurses, 29*33 died ; of those artificially fed, 60 died ; and of those brought up in institutions, 80 died to the 100. Again, taking 1600 well-to-do persons, and 1000 poor persons, there remained of the prosperous, after five years, 943, while of the poor, only 655 remained alive ; after fifty years there remained of the prosperous 357, and only 283 of the poor ; at seventy years of age there remained of the prosperous 235, and but 65 of the poor. The total average length of life among the well-off class was found to be fifty years, as against thirty-two among the poor, — Scientific American.

AT HOME. Be cheerful at home. A single bitter word may disquiet an entire family for a whole day ; one glance cast a gloom over the household ; while a smile, like a gleam of sunshine, may light up the darkest and weariest hours. Like unexpected flowers which spring up along our path full of freshness, fragrance and beauty, so do kind words and gentle acts and sweet dispositions, make glad the home where peace and blessing dwell. No matter how humble the abode, if it be thus garnished with grace and sweetened with kindness and smiles, the heart will turn lovingly toward it from all tumults of the world ; if it be ever so homely, it will be the dearest spot beneath the circuit of the sun. COUNTUY AND CITY LIFE. If the boys who are brought up in the country understood their advantages, surely they would not throng to the city. The chances for wealth are as great, practically, in the country as in the city, and the expenses of living and the risks of disaster much less. The competitions of city life and the struggles to get hold of business and salaried work are fearful. No man should come to the city unless he knows what he is going to do, or has money enough in his hands to take care of himself until he gets a living position or becomes satisfied that he cannot get one. Even to-day, with the evidences of renewed prosperity all around us, there are probably ten applications for ever desirable place, and no man living here could help a friend to a place unless he could create one. And as far as social .advantages are concerned, what is there in the city that can compensate for the pure pleasures of country scenery and country life?

THE CHINESE COMPOSITOR. Thk Chinese compositor cannot sit at bis case as our printers do, but must walk from one case to another constantly, as the characters needed cover such a large number that they cannot be put into anything like the space used in the English newspaper office. In setting up an ordinary piece of manuscript, the Chinese printer -will waltz up and down the room for a few moments and ihen go down stairs for a line of lower case. Then he takes the elevator and goes up into the third story after some caps, and then out into the wood-shed far a handful of astonishers. The successful Chinese compositor doesn't need to be so very intelligent, but he must be a good pedestrian. He may work and walk around over the building all day to set up a stick full and then half the people in this country couldn't read it after all.—-Boo-merang.