7Z FLIES. 



carcase of beef, which in twelve or twenty-four hours, 

 when exposed to the air, turns a dirty greenish yellow 

 colour, and thus spoils the beef, having a frothy 

 discharge oozing from the surface, with a soapy-like 

 look." 



This state of things is only too commonly to be 

 found ; in the words of Mr. John Child, manager of 

 the Leeds and District Hide and Skin Co. : — " In the 

 worst part of the Warble season, I could get you 

 l)ucketsful of inflamed tissue (commonly called by the 

 butchers, 'jelly'), cut and scraped from the carcase 

 after the hide is taken off." 



Its prejudicial nature in all points of view is thus 

 shortly given in the last words of some observations 

 with which I was favoured by Mr. John Penberthy, 

 Prof, of Pathology at the Koyal Veterinary College, 

 Camden Town, N.W., regarding some specimens on 

 which I had requested his opinion : — " The material 

 is not lit for human consumption. I think it very 

 deleterious to the health and comfort of the affected 

 animal." 



TJie yearlii loss from this attack is enormous. Firstly, 

 there is the loss on milk, and on many other points of 

 damage consequent on the wild gallop of the cattle 

 when terrified by the Fly. Secondly, there is the loss 

 on condition of the infested animal. Every warbled 

 hide is a sign of so much out of the farmer's pocket, 

 for the food he spent in feeding grubs in his cattle's 

 backs, which should have gone to form meat and 

 milk, instead of being wasted in foul maggot-sores.* 



* The followinp; is one note taken from many which I received 

 showint^ the loss to the cattle owner by waste of food not formed into 

 meat by tlie warbled beast, as well as deficiency of receipt per stone 

 on the CMrcase and per pound on the hide. Mr. J. Sparkes, Wearhead, 

 Darlington, wrote me, on the loth of April, that he had lately sold to 

 a butcher a heifer, which turned out a much lighter weight than was 

 expected from the extra good food. The animal turned out to be badly 

 warbled, and " down the spine frothy, loose, and mattery, or in a sort 

 of jelly," and some of the beef ha.) to be scraped before sending it out. 

 Tlie loss on hide at Id. per pound would be about 5.s. on the hide; the 

 loss on beef, the animal being soM by the stone, fell on the owner. 



