182 REMEDIES AGAINST BLACK-FLIES. 



stroy some of their breeding-places, but when there are so 

 many this would make but little difference. Any chemicals 

 to kill the larvae and pupae in the water would also kill fish, 

 as they would have to be used very strong. The only way 

 we have to protect ourselves and our animals are repelling 

 substances, such as stinking-oils and smudges. A number of 

 repellants are sold and some of them are very good, for in- 

 stance the "Black-fly Cream," made in Portland, Maine, 

 Our fishermen and hunters frequently use a mixture of kero- 

 sene-oil and mutton-tallow, with which the exposed parts 

 are greased. For animals any of the strong-smelling oils can 

 be used, but repeated applications are apt to injure them or 

 to remove the hair. Oil of tar is a simple and easily applied 

 wash. To make it, a quantity of coal-tar is placed in a large 

 shallow receptacle in which is stirred a small quantity of oil 

 of tar, or oil of turpentine, or an3^ similar material. After 

 filling the receptacle with water it is kept undisturbed for 

 several days, when the animals to be protected are washed 

 with the impregnated water whenever necessary. Smudges 

 are best as a protection and the animals soon realize their 

 protecting influence and crowd to them for shelter, even re- 

 fusing to leave them when needed elsewhere. As the black- 

 flies are active only during the day, and the mosquitoes to- 

 wards evening and night, dwellers in our northern woods 

 have a bad time of it and sometimes suffer very greatly on 

 their account. It is easy, however, to drive these tormenters 

 from houses or tents. By burning inside of them a little 

 pyrethrum powder (Persian or Dalmatian insect-powder) 

 upon a piece of bark these intruders are either killed or be- 

 come so stupefied that they do not bite for some time. This 

 method is in general use in the houses and stores of the Hud- 

 son Bay Company, and the writer has always used it suc- 

 cessfully in his numerous trips. The fumes of the burning in- 

 sect-powder are not very offensive, at least not nearly so 

 much so as the poisonous bites of such insects as black-flies 

 and mosquitoes. 



MOSQUITOES. 

 ( Cidlcidai). 

 Like the flies belonging to the family of SiitiuUda' just 



