MUSCID^ — FLIES. 301 



about eight dozen. I never sells no more than that ; I wish 

 I could. People won't buy 'em now. When I'm at it I 

 makes, taking one day with another, about ten shillings a 

 week. You see, if I sold eight dozen, I'd make four shillings. 

 I sell 'em at a penny each, at two for three-ha'pence, and 

 three for twopence. When they gets stale I sells 'em for 

 three a penny. I always begin by asking a penny each, and 

 perhaps they'll say, ' Give me two for three ha'pence V I'll 

 say, * Can't, ma'am,' and then they pulls out a purse full of 

 money and gives a penny. 



" The police is very kind to us, and don't interfere with 

 us. If they see another boy hitting us they'll take off their 

 belts and hit 'em. Sometimes I've sold a ketch-'em-alive to 

 a policeman; he'll fold it up and put it into his pocket to 

 take home with him. Perhaps he's got a kid, and the flies 

 teazes its eyes. 



" Some ladies like to buy fly-cages better than ketch-'em- 

 alive's, because sometimes when they're putting 'em up they 

 falls in their faces, and then they screams." 



The history of the manufacture of Fly-papers was thus 

 given to Mr. Mayhew by a manufacturer, whom he found in 

 a small attic-room near Drury-lane : "The first man as was 

 the inventor of these fly-papers kept a barber's shop in St. 

 Andrew-street, Seven Dials, of the name of Greenwood or 

 Greenfinch, I forget which. I expect he diskivered it by ac- 

 cident, using varnish and stuff, for stale varnish has nearly 

 the same effect as our composition. He made 'em and sold 

 'em at first at threepence and fourpence a piece. Then it 

 got down to a penny. He sold the receipt to some other 

 parties, and then it got out through their having to employ 

 men to help 'em. I worked for a party as made 'em, and 

 then I set to work making 'em for myself, and afterwards 

 hawking them. They was a greater novelty then than they 

 are now, and sold pretty well. Then men in the streets, 

 who had nothing to do, used to ask me where I bought 'em, 

 and then I used to give 'em my own address, and they'd 

 come and find me."^ 



1 London Lab. and London Poor, iii. 28-33. 



