Observations on the Habits and Parasites of Common Flies

Abstract

Within the last few years several books and numerous papers have been published dealing with various problems relating to the life-histories, and disease-spreading capacities, of house-frequenting and other nonbiting flies. An intimate knowledge of the habits of flies is essential if the most suitable methods are to be devised in order to diminish their numbers, yet it is only too evident that many of the accepted hypotheses are founded on the most superficial observations, and that extensive and carefully planned experiments, with a few notable exceptions, are conspicuously absent.