SANITATION 



425 



many diseases, especially typhoid fever. The mosquito 

 carries malaria and yellow fever germs. Sleeping 

 sickness, common in the low lands of Africa, is spread 

 by the tse-tse fly. The 

 flea is responsible for car- 

 rying bubonic plague. 



The fly lays her eggs in 

 all sorts of decaying mat- 

 ter, manure, garbage, 

 dead animals, etc. In a 

 very short time these 

 hatch and develop into 

 mature insects. The body 

 covered with hairs and 

 spines, and most of its 

 habits, particularly adapt 

 the fly for collecting and 

 distributing germs. It 

 feeds in all manner of 

 dirty places, and in so 

 doing, eats many germs 

 and gets its feet covered 

 with many more. These 

 it may deposit upon our 

 food either by shaking 

 them off its feet as it 

 walks over the food or 

 dishes, or in its " specks" which always contain many 

 germs. If by chance the fly has visited a sick room 



Adult. 

 Permission of U. S. Dept. of 



Agriculture. 



Fig. 188. Life history of house 

 fly. 



