The Bluebottle: The Laying 



wrapper. They are in a state of perfect pre- 

 servation, complying with the most exacting 

 demands of the kitchen. I congratulate the 

 nameless shipper who conceived the bright 

 idea of clothing his Blackbirds in paper. Will 

 his example find imitators? I doubt it. 



There is, of course, a serious objection to 

 this method of preservation. In its paper 

 shrould, the article is invisible; it is not enti- 

 cing; it does not inform the passer-by of its 

 nature and qualities. There is one resource 

 left which would leave the bird uncovered: 

 simply to case the head in a paper cap. The 

 head being the part most threatened, because 

 of the mucus membrane of the throat and 

 eyes, it would be sufficient, as a rule, to pro- 

 tect the head, in order to keep off the Flies 

 and to thwart their attempts. 



Let us continue to study the Bluebottle, 

 while varying our means of information. A 

 tin, about four inches deep, contains a piece of 

 butcher's meat. The lid is not put in quite 

 straight and leaves a narrow slit at one point 

 of its circumference, allowing, at most, of the 

 passage of a fine needle. When the bait be- 

 gins to give off a gamy scent, the mothers 

 come. Singly or in numbers. They are at- 

 tracted by the odour which, transmitted 



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