THE BOT FLY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4332, 2 February 1893, Page 3

THE BOT FLY.

Scientific Opinions.

Sineo the hot fly has made its appearance in this district, the followins article from the Napier Telegraph may prove ot interest to our farmers and horse-owners. It says: Last summer there was some little scare owing to tho number of valuable horses that died through, ns it was alleged, the hot fly, Mr Henry Jellnnun has gone to some uuius to ullay the alarm, nnd in » letter to tho Marlborough Express ho quotes from well-known authorities on veterinary surgery to show that hot flies do not kill horses. Mr George Armitagc, M.E.C.V.S., writes as follows :

The flies attach their eggs to tlio hair on the knees, breast, nose, side, and mane of the horse, where they give rise to an amount of irritation, winch causes the animal to lick tlio parts, The moisture thus derived, together with the external temperature of the summer season, are sufficient to Latch the eggs, from which a small mngijot escapes in about threo weeks' time of theirfirstbeing deposited. Some of these are carried by the tongue into the mouth, and eventually to the stomach to tho mucous membrane, to which they attach themselves by means of a pair of books. In this situation they remain for a period of eight months or thereabouts when they leave their hold, and dropping off, pass along the alimentary canals, and are voided with tho feces. In tlio passage of the bot through the bowels, ono variety attaohes itself to the raucous membrane of the rectum, and gives rise to no little pain and irritation. Many attempts have been made to dislodge the bot from its dwelling place, but every remedy made uso of has proved far more injurious to the horse. William Williams, principal of the New Veterinary College of Edinburgh, in his work, "The Principles anil Practice of Veterinary Medicines," hears out Armitago's remarks and saya: " A's enemies of the horse and sheep, the gad flies have acquired notoriety from the earliest times, They originally obtained their family title from the ancient Greeks," and in language similar to "Armitage" describes their modes of attack, deposit of eggs, and the hatching of the ovn, but says: "That hots are capable of giving rise to severe disturbances in the horse there canuot be any reasonable doubt, but it is not often that the disorder is correctly diagnosed, and if it was, no known remedies are available to remove tho bot, without seriously injuring the horse," Youatt, after agreeing with tho abovo writer's remarks, says: - " There sro seyeral plain conclusions from this history, The hots canuot, while they inhabit the stomach of the horse, give the animal any pain, for they are fastoned 011 the outicular and insensible coat. They oannoc stimulate the stomach and increaso its digestive power for they are not on the digestive portion of the stomach, They cannot be removed by medicines because they are not in that part of the stomach to which medicino is usually conveyed; and if they wore, their mouths are too deeply buried in tho mucous for any medicine that can safely be administered to affect them."

J. H,'Walsh, M.R.C.V.S. (Stonehenge), aaya:—" Unlike other parasites, they seem to do littlo or no harm, on account of tlio insensible nature of the part of tho stomach to which they are atiached, and moreOver their presence ia seldom discovered until tho season of migration, when interference is uncalled for. This ia important, for it ofl'times happens that n meddlesomo groom, when he sees them expelled from or hanging to the verge of tho anus, as they often do for a short time, thinks it necessary to use strong medicine, whereas in tho first placo lie does no good, for none is known which will kill the larva without danger to the horse, and in the second if he only will have a little patience every bot will come away in the natural course of things." Bracy Clarke, of whom all writers acknowledge that before his investigationa into the origin and habits of tho bot very little was known, backs up the above testimony to the letter.