OESTRUS. 
369 
Though his size is immense, as is his strength, 
and his body covered with a thick skin, defended 
with strong hair, yet still he is not capable to sus- 
tain the violent punctures the fly makes with his 
proboscis. He must lose no time in removing to 
the sands of Atbara; for when once attacked by 
this fly, his body, head, and legs, break out into 
large bosses, which swell, break, and putrify, to 
the certain destruction of the creature. Even the 
Elephant and Rhinoceros, who, by reason of their 
enormous bulk, and the vast quantity of food and 
water they daily need, cannot shift to desert and 
dry places as the season may require, are obliged 
to roll themselves in mud and mire, which, when 
dry, coats them over like armour, and enables 
them to stand their ground against this winged 
assassin; yet I have found some of these tubercles 
upon almost every Elephant and Rhinoceros that 
I have seen, and attribute them to this cause.” 
All the inhabitants of the sea-coast of Me- 
linda, down to Cape Gardefan, to Saba, and the 
south of the Red Sea, are obliged to put themselves 
in motion and remove to the next sand in the be- 
ginning of the rainy season, to prevent all their 
stock of cattle from being destroyed. This is not 
a partial emigration; the inhabitants of all the 
countries from the mountains of Abyssinia north- 
ward, to the confluence of the Nile and Astabo- 
ras, are once a-year obliged to change their abode, 
and seek protection in the sands of Beja; nor is 
there any alternative, or means of avoiding this, 
24 
V. VI. r. II. 
