66 



THE INSECT WORLD. 



The Gad-fly, or Breeze-fly of the sheep, CEstrns ^Cephakmym 

 07-is) has obtained notoriety on account of its attacking those animals. 



Even at the sight of this insect the sheep feels the greatest terror. 

 As soon as one of them appears, the flock becomes disturbed, the 

 fheep that is attacked shakes its head when it feels the fly on ,s 

 nosml and at the same time strikes the ground violently with Us 

 fore-feet • it then commences to run here and there, holding its nose 

 near the ground, smelling the grass, and looking about anxiously to 

 see if it is still pursued. . , i • ^^ 



It IS to avoid the attacks of the CeJ>/iakmyia that during tne 



Fig. 49.— Cephalemyia ovis. 



hot days of summer sheep lie down with their nostrils buried ii 

 dusty ruts, or stand up with their heads Wred between their ^^^^^^ 

 leers and their noses nearly in contact with the ground. When ties- 

 poor beasts are in the open country, they are observed assembler 

 with their nostrils against each other and very near the ground sj 

 that those which occupy the outside are alone exposed (Plate iil.i 

 The Cephalemyia ovis (Fig. 49) has a less hairy head but larger 

 proportion to the size of its body than the Gad-fly {Gasterophilus equv 

 Its face is reddish: its forehead brown with purple bars; its eyes ( 

 a dark and changing green; its antenna black, its thorax sometime. 



