BOTS. 91 



ask my readers to lay aside whatever prejudices they may 

 have on this subject, and carefully consider what long experi- 

 ence, and the examination of hundreds of cases of horses after 

 death, have led all thoroughly educated veterinary surgeons to 

 believe on this subject. I have no theory to sustain by what 

 I have to say about bots; I only desire to present truths, 

 which, I am sure, may save the lives of many valuable horses. 



Every person has an idea that a species of gad-fly, some- 

 times called the nit-fly, which troubles horses very much, at 

 pasture or working in the field, during the latter part of sum- 

 mer and part of the fall, is in some way concerned in pro- 

 ducing bots. This idea is very correct. The nit-fly is, so to 

 speak, the mother of the bot. 



By examining a horse that is on pasture or worked in the 

 field, a great number of little yellow nits will be seen sticking 

 to the hairs on the legs, flanks, and shoulders. These nits are 

 deposited there by the females of the gad-fly. The fly darts 

 through the air very rapidly toward the part on which she in- 

 tends to deposit the nit. When within a few inches of the 

 place, she poises or steadies herself; and, drawing herself up, 

 darts upon the hair, and deposits an egg. She again leaves, 

 prepares another egg, and deposits it in the same way. Thus, 

 one fly may deposit several hundred eggs in a very short time. 

 Very soon, by the heat of the animal's coat, and the sun, a 

 very small maggot is hatched, which, crawling out on the 

 hairs, produces an itching, which causes the horse to nibble or 

 bite at the place. By this means the maggot gets on the 

 horse's tongue, and is taken into his mouth, and is carried 

 into the stomach along with his food. On reaching the stom- 

 ach it attaches itself to the upper or insensitive part of 

 the inside coat of the stomach. For a description of this part 

 of the horse's stomach see the article headed "The Stomach." 

 By studying that article you will know just where the bot 

 finds its stopping-place. The bot remains in this place until 

 about the end of the following summer, when it becomes full- 



