THE "bull J)0(iS." 219 



pelled to delay a couple of hours wliilst tlic men went 

 back in search of the missing articles. The bridle 

 was found, but the axe — far more important, since it 

 was the only large one we possessed — we did not 

 recover. 



The heat was very great, and the mosquitoes and 

 gad-flies — called "bull-dogs" by the half-breeds — tor- 

 mented the horses to such an extent that, in spite of tlie 

 large green- wood fire which we made for their benefit — 

 the smoke keeping ofi' the insects — they were unable 

 to feed, and rushed madly about in their distress. The 

 "bull-dog," or tahanus, is a large fiy, about twice the 

 size of a " bluebottle," with a long body, banded with 

 yellow, like that of the wasp, and its mouth is armed 

 with a formidable cutting apparatus of four lancets. 

 They are very numerous in wooded or swampy 

 country, and are very fierce and persistent in their 

 attacks on both men and animals. The "bull -dog" 

 settles lightly and unnoticed on any exposed portion 

 of the skin, and the first warning of his presence 

 is a sharp stab, like that of a needle, which makes 

 the sufierer wince again. There is, however, no 

 after- irritation or swelling, as is the case with the 

 sting of a mosquito. The horses suffer dreadfully 

 from these creatures in the summer, and their necks — a 

 part which they cannot reach with either head or tail 

 to brush off their tormentors — are covered with 

 great clusters of these vampires, and dripping with 

 blood. 



After crossing the McLeod, we continued to follow 

 the western bank pretty closely, the road being worse 



