SHEEP— CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



32r 



stamping, endeavoring to prevent the 

 depositing of the egg. When the little 

 worm has reached its destined situation, 

 it seems no longer to trouble the animal ; 

 and these bots are found in the heads of 

 some of the largest and fattest sheep. 

 This is the destined place of this worm, 

 and nature would not make it destructive, 

 or even much annoying, to the animal by 

 which it is to be supported. 



Another species of fly, or perhaps 

 several other species, are far more trouble- 

 some and injurious. At some uncertain 

 time after shearing, and seemingly oftener 

 occurring to those that were early than to 

 those that were later sheared, the sheep 

 will be struck with the fly. This will be 

 discovered by the uneasiness of the 

 animal. It is not the itching of scab, for 

 it is before the usual appearance of that 

 disease, and when the sheep was shorn 

 there was not the least appearance of it. 

 The sheep will hang down their heads, 

 stand for awhile as if listening, then bow 

 up their backs, violently shake their tails, 

 stamp furiously with their feet, gallop 

 away for a short distance, and then turn 

 round and try to bite the affected part. 

 The tail is evidently the part oftener 

 attacked. 



On being caught, there will probably 

 be found little lumps or bladders on 

 various parts, but particularly about the 

 tail ; and if these are pierced, they will 

 be found to contain numerous little 

 maggots. If there are any sores about 

 the animal made in the shearing, they 

 will become full of maggots in different 

 stages of maturity, and these vermin will 

 crawl through the wool, over almost 

 every part of the body. 



In warm weather they are peculiarly 

 annoying and destructive. We have 

 seen them spreading from the root of the 

 tail to the head of the sheep, deepening 

 every sore, eating even through the 

 sound skin in various places, and pene- 

 trating to the very entrails. 



A sheep struck by the fly should not 

 be neglected a single day, for the mag- 

 gots will sometimes do irreparable mis- 

 chief in a very short space of time. The 

 wool should be cut off round the places 

 where the maggots seem principally to 

 prevail, and they should be carefully 

 picked out ; but this will not effectually 

 destroy them; for many will crawl far 



away out of the reach of the looker. 

 Some ointment or powder must be ap- 

 plied, which will at the same time heal 

 the sores and destroy the maggot. An 

 application of this kind may be obtained 

 in some of the preparations of lead. The 

 Fly Powder (See No. 78, Domestic 

 Animals, Medicines for) will be very 

 useful. 



While one man holds the sheep by the 

 head, let another have a dredger or 

 pepper-box containing some of the 

 powder in his right hand, and a stick in 

 his left ; let him introduce the stick near 

 the tail of the animal, and draw it gently 

 along the back as far as the head, raising 

 the wool, and scattering in the powder as 

 he proceeds. Then let him dip his hand 

 in some of the coarsest whale oil, and 

 smooth down the wool again, smearing 

 the whole of the fleece with the oil. This 

 will not only destroy the maggots, but 

 prevent the future attack of the fly. 

 There are few flies that will approach 

 anything that smells strongly of this oil; 

 it would, therefore, be a good practice to 

 smear the sheep with a little of it after 

 shearing. No injury could possibly be 

 done to the wool, but, on the contrary, 

 its growth would be promoted. 



If, however, the flies have made any 

 deep wounds or ulcers, some of the 

 powder should be mixed up with tar, and 

 the ointment gently rubbed on the sores. 

 Another good way is to dip the lambs in 

 a decoction of tobacco, just strong 

 enough to kill ticks in a minute or two. 

 One man takes the lamb by the forelegs 

 and head, and dips him in the vessel so 

 as just to leave the head out. It is then 

 raised and held over the kettle while 

 another presses the liquor out of the 

 fleece back into the kettle. 



Maggots originating from fly-blows on 

 wounds, may be prevented by dressing 

 the wound with tar, and may be destroyed 

 by an application of honey, when spirits 

 of turpentine would prove ineffectual. 



SHEEP, Erysepelas.— See Sheep, Scab. 



SHEEP, Stretches. — See Sheep, Indi- 

 gestion. 



SHEEP, Shearing.— Sheep should be 

 sheared before they are turned out to 

 pasture. This prevents a loss of wool by 

 their shedding it on bushes, etc., and it is 

 also cleaner and freer from grit or sand. 



SHEEP, Itch.— See Sheep, Scab. 



