IRambles wttb mature Students 



but some of their near relatives are grievous torments 

 to horses and cattle in the various countries where 

 they are found. 



In Servia a minute fly so irritates the flocks and herds 

 by its intolerable stings, that hundreds of sheep and 



oxen are driven 

 mad and perish 

 in consequence of 

 its attacks. 



In India there 

 are flies that can 

 even pierce the 

 elephant's hide, 

 and in Florida, 

 cows, horses, and 

 mules are almost 

 eaten alive by 

 voracious fat- 

 bodied flies, which 

 give them no 

 peace during the 

 summer months. 

 It is rather a con- 

 solation to know 

 that an insect called the ' coachman fly ' preys in its 

 turn upon these tormentors, 1 and 'will sit through a long 

 drive on the collar or some other part of the harness, 

 or even on the steed itself, in order to pounce upon 

 the insects as they settle. The curious thing is that 

 the horses seem to know the difference, for directly a 

 horse-fly comes, even if it does not sting, they become 

 restless, tossing their heads and lashing with their 

 tails ; but the " coachman " may rest on any part of 



1 Rpyal Nat. History > vol. vi., p. 59. 



ST. MARK'S FLY. 



