afternoon paper of the city of
Washington, of October 20, 1908, bears the heading, 'Typhoid a
National Scourge,' arguing that it is to-day as great a scourge as
tuberculosis. The editorial writer might equally well have used the
heading 'Typhoid a National Reproach,' or perhaps even 'Typhoid a
National Crime,' since it is an absolutely preventable disease. And
as for the typhoid fly, that a creature born in indescribable filth
and absolutely swarming with disease germs should practically be
invited to multiply unchecked, even in great centers of population,
is surely nothing less than criminal."

The whole bulletin (No. 78, Bureau of Entomology) should be read and
studied by all who are interested in this subject.

OTHER FLIES

Occasionally other flies looking more or less like the house-fly are
seen in houses. Some of these have the same type of sucking mouth-parts
and have habits very similar to the house-fly, but as they are usually
much less common and as nearly all that has been said in regard to the
house-fly would apply equally well to them and as the same measures
should be adopted in fighting them they need not be discussed further
here.

I have already called attention to the fact that a fly which looks very
much like the house-fly is sometimes found in the house and will often
bite severely. It has quite a different style of beak, one that is
fitted for piercing so it may suck the blood of its victim (Fig. 51). As
these flies often seem to be more persistent before a rain the weather
prophet will tell you that "It is surely going to rain for the
house-flies are beginning to bite."

These stable-flies, as they are called, are great pests of cattle and
horses in some sections. It is thought that they are important factors
in the spread of some of the diseases of domestic animals, and their
habit of sometimes attacking human beings makes it possible for them to
carry certain disease germs from animals to man or from man to man.

CHAPTER VI

MOSQUITOES

Mosquitoes are no more abundant now than they have been in the past, but
when Linnaeus in 1758 made his list of all the animals known to exist at
that time he catalogued only six species of mosquitoes. Only a few years
ago, 1901, Dr. Theobald of the British Museum published a book on the
mosquitoes of the world in which he listed three hundred and forty-three
kinds. Soon other volumes appeared, addi