REGULAR OBSERVATION 68 



siderable amount of fly-borne disease will the apparent 

 reduction of the latter be immediate, and then only if 

 the fly-reduction is considerable. Otherwise the results 

 of the campaign may be slow but they will be sure. 

 The reports should also contain details of the measures 

 taken to deal with the fly-maggots this will be a useful 

 example to others ; and any difficulties encountered 

 should also be set down at length with the manner of 

 their overcoming if they have been overcome. But 

 publicity is everything, and the greater the publicity the 

 better. Let the reports be printed and published and 

 sent to the press, and endeavours should be made to 

 obtain fair comment. If any money has been spent on the 

 campaign, properly audited accounts should also be pub- 

 lished. Money set aside for an anti-fly campaign should 

 be kept in separate accounts if any specially voted sums 

 have been spent. But as stated before, no new or special 

 credits should be required at first under ordinary circum- 

 stances. The annual reports must contain all details, so 

 that others may learn from the experiences gained. 



Careful observations on the effects of fly -reduction 

 will be well repaid. They may result in matters of 

 considerable interest and importance being brought to 

 light. Thus at Cairo, during the spring of 1909, there 

 was an interesting repetition of history, and a re- 

 currence of some of the Plagues of Egypt as already 

 mentioned in the Introduction. February and March 

 that year had been unusually cold for Egypt, but on 

 April 24 heavy rains occurred an uncommon occurrence 

 in that generally rainless climate. The summer was 

 ushered in by a heat-wave on May 1, and the 

 temperature rose to 102 Fahr. in the shade. Fourteen 

 days later a plague of house-flies appeared in the city 

 owing to the quantities of damp, rain-sodden manure 



