104 THOSE OTHER ANIMALS. 



point he can find, he alights upon it, and begins to shuffle 

 his feet about. A score of times he repeats this perform- 

 ance, generally selecting a fresh spot each time, and always 

 evading any slaps aimed at him. It is remarkable that 

 while at other times he flies noiselessly, he begins to buzz 

 when he commences this game, so that even when he does 

 not settle, he causes watchfulness and drives away sleep. 



The fly who establishes himself in the kitchen enjoys 

 higher delights than the flies who occupy other portions 

 of the house. Cooks are notoriously an irritable genus, 

 and the more irritable a victim, the more a fly enjoys 

 tormenting him or her. Besides, cooks often have their 

 hands full, and so are unable to defend themselves, and 

 a fly always in preference attacks a person under these 

 conditions. It is an admitted fact that flies possess a 

 strong esprit de corps, and that they resent any interference 

 with their ways. In a house where flies are undisturbed, 

 they take good care not to be troublesome beyond a certain 

 point. But if war is waged upon them, they are implacable. 

 The foolish man who tries fly paper, whether of the sticky 

 or poisonous sort, will soon regret having done so, for 

 legions of flies assemble to revenge their slaughtered com- 

 rades. For every one slain a hundred put in their appear- 

 ance, and madness is the probable result of perseverance 

 in the crusade against them. The Egyptian woman is well 

 aware of this, and will allow a hundred flies to settle un- 

 disturbed around her infant's eyes, knowing that if she 

 brushes them away worse will befall. 



As autumn draws to its close, the fly changes his habits. 

 He ceases to gambol in the air, for although his attacks 

 upon human beings become more persistent and annoying 



