86 NOTES ON FIELDS AND CATTLE. 



horn, for its growth is rapid ; leave not behind the 

 least ledge under which one single grain of grit can 

 ensconce itself: darkly at its leisure to mine a 

 treacherous way upward to some vital spot. For 

 this work you must catch them " with the dew upon 

 their feet," or after a wet day, when the horn will 

 cut like soap. 



In the hot months, when the fly is about, your 

 flock must be looked over continually. Despite the 

 dressing of fly-powder which you should give them 

 early, a marauder will sometimes steal an opening. 

 Look out for the dirty stain of maggots' juice upon 

 the wool that indicates the spot where they are 

 writhing in accumulated life. In twenty-four hours 

 your sheep may be past cure. When they are struck 

 my shepherd does nothing more than pick the 

 maggots out, and rub train-oil well in. We have 

 never had any further trouble. There are plenty of 

 other receipts which you may find in any veterinary 

 volume. 



When Horace wrote 



" Dulce pellitis ovibus Galsesi 

 Flumen," 



he Was not so far wrong as one might suppose, 

 though with his lounging epicurean tastes he pro- 

 bably knew more of Falernian than fleeces. There 

 is no risk to sheep grazing along the banks of a 

 flowing river where the banks are firm ; there is 

 more need to fear often on a mountain-top : as will 

 be understood when it is explained that the best 

 authorities have determined rot to be due to that 



