PAET II 



THE BREEDING HABITS: THE LIFE-HISTORY 

 AND STRUCTURE OF THE LARVA 



CHAPTER VI 



THE BREEDING HABITS OF JIUSCA DOJIESTICA 



The meagre nature uf the information concerning the life- 

 history and the breeding habits of the house-fly which was 

 available at the time my investigations were begun has been 

 indicated already in the introductory chapter, in which the 

 history of our knowledge of this insect was traced. Gleichen 

 and Taschenberg in Europe, Packard and Howard in the United 

 States, had been the chief contributors to our knowledge of the 

 breeding habits. 



Carl de Geer (177()) was one of the first to describe the 

 breeding habits. He stated that the house-fly developed in 

 warm and humid dung, but did not give the time occupied by 

 the different developmental stages. He refers to the enormous 

 quantities of flies occurring from July to August. His state- 

 ment concerning their development is especially interesting, as 

 he appears to be the first investigator who called attention 

 to what I consider to be one of the most important factors in 

 the development of the fly, namely, the process of fermentation 

 occun-ing in the substance in which development is taking place. 

 He says (p. 76) : " Les larves de cette espece vivent done dans le 

 fumier, mais uniquement dans celui qui est bien chaud et humide, 

 ou pour mieux dire qui se trouve en par/aite fermentation " (the 

 italics are mine). 



