n6 THE WONDERS OF INSTINCT 



— Thrushes, Partridges, Snipe and so on — in separate 

 paper envelopes ; and the same with our beef and mutton. 

 This defensive armor alone while leaving ample room for 

 the air to circulate, makes any invasion by the worms im- 

 possible, even without a cover or a meat-safe: not that 

 paper possesses any special preservative virtues, but solely 

 because it forms an impenetrable barrier. The Blue- 

 bottle carefully refrains from laying her eggs upon it and 

 the Flesh-fly from bringing forth her offspring, both of 

 them knowing that their new-born young are incapable of 

 piercing the obstacle. 



Paper is equally successful in our strife against the 

 Moths, those plagues of our furs and clothes. To keep 

 away these wholesale ravagers, people generally use cam- 

 phor, naphthalene, tobacco, bunches of lavender, and 

 other strong-scented remedies. Without wishing to ma- 

 lign those preservatives, we are bound to admit that the 

 means employed are none too effective. The smell does 

 very little to prevent the havoc of the Moths. 



I would therefore advise our housewives, instead of all 

 this chemist's stuff, to use newspapers of a suitable shape 

 and size. Take whatever you wish to protect — your 

 furs, your flannel, or your clothes — and pack each article 

 carefully in a newspaper, joining the edges with a double 

 fold, well pinned. If this joining is properly done, the 

 Moth will never get inside. Since my advice has been 

 taken and this method employed in my household, the 

 old damage has no longer been repeated. 



To return to the Fly. A piece of meat is hidden in a 

 jar under a layer of fine, dry sand, a finger' s-breadth 



