THE HOUSE FLY 69 



flies if it is suitably baited with a small bit of stale raw 

 meat. The trapped flies may be killed by plunging the 

 trap into boiling water, or holding it over a fire for a second 

 or two. If it is revolved over a piece of burning paper, 

 the flies will all be instantly killed. 



The Fly Swatter is a very useful contrivance for killing 

 flies on the wing. It is spade shaped, of wire mesh, with 

 a wooden handle. It is, or should be, stocked by iron- 

 mongers. Flies will readily drink a sweetened solution 

 of arsenic placed in shallow vessels about the room. This 

 however, is not recommended where there are small children, 

 or cats and dogs, as several instances of fatal poisoning 

 from drinking such solutions are on record. 



The Daisy Fly Killer, stocked by ironmongers and grocers, 

 is an effective fly poisoner. 



Mr. P. J. Parrott, Entomologist of the Kansas Experi- 

 ment Station, in Bulletin 99 of the Station, issued in 

 October 1909, suggested a cheap and effective fly destroyer 

 which is now largely in use in America. The following 

 is his description of the trap : 



" The Department of Entomology, after experimenting 

 upon various mechanical devices for catching flies, has 

 contrived a trap and recommended it for trial on account 

 of its effectiveness and cheapness. Anybody with an 

 average amount of mechanical ingenuity can make and 

 attach the trap, with a cost of but a few cents. It is made 

 as follows : 



" Take a flat strip of tin 2j inches wide and i inches 

 longer than the distance between the side rail or stile and 

 middle rail of the sash, as from C to D, Fig. 3, which 

 in this case measured 21 inches. For this window, the 



