THE BLUEBOTTLE 113 



meat, well and good; if they fall elsewhere, they can 

 reach the morsel by crawling. 



This confidence in the unknown factor of the precipice, 

 with no indication but that of smell, deserves fuller in- 

 vestigation. From what height will the Flesh-fly dare to 

 let her children drop? I top the test-tube with another 

 tube, the width of the neck of a claret-bottle. The 

 mouth is closed either with wire-gauze or with a paper 

 cover with a slight cut in it. Altogether, the apparatus 

 measures twenty-five inches in height. No matter: the 

 fall is not serious for the lithe backs of the young grubs; 

 and, in a few days, the test-tube is filled with larvae, in 

 which it is easy to recognize the Flesh-fly's family by 

 the fringed coronet that opens and shuts at the maggot's 

 stern like the petals of a little flower. I did not see 

 the mother operating: I was not there at the time; but 

 there is no doubt possible of her coming, nor of the great 

 dive taken by the family: the contents of the test-tube 

 furnish me with a duly authenticated certificate. 



I admire the leap and, to obtain one better still, I 

 replace the tube by another, so that the apparatus now 

 stands forty-six inches high. The column is erected at 

 a spot frequented by Flies, in a dim light. Its mouth, 

 closed with a wire-gauze cover, reaches the level of vari- 

 ous other appliances, test-tubes, and jars, which are al- 

 ready stocked or awaiting their colony of vermin. When 

 the position is well known to the Flies, I remove the other 

 tubes and leave the column, lest the visitors should turn 

 aside to easier ground. 



