THE SHEEP CAP. 211 



the sore parts with tar. I advised them to anoint them with 

 coarse whale oil, such as they mix with the tar, having several 

 times seen sores softened and healed by it. Some of it being 

 near at hand they consented. The flies were at this time 

 settled upon the fold in such numbers that when we went 

 among the sheep we could with difficulty see each other, but 

 those anointed with the oil were turned in among the rest, and 

 to our utter astonishment, in less than a minute not a fly was 

 to be seen." This remarkable experience certainly is an- 

 nounced as a discovery, for it surprised both the Ettrick 

 Shepherd and his comrades. Whether it was entirely a new 

 idea at that time it is impossible to say ; but certain it is that 

 whale or train oil is now looked upon as a sure safeguard 

 against this form of fly attack. Experience has proved that a 

 little sulphur mixed with the oil is beneficial, so that sulphur 

 and whale oil, applied with a brush, will keep off" the flies and 

 prove a great advantage to the sheep. With such a simple 

 remedy at hand, no one should be troubled with sore heads ; 

 and our reason for giving it is that, in spite of its simplicity, it 

 is not universally practised or known. 



THE SHEEP CAP. 



The worst feature of the sheep cap is that when it becomes 

 dirty or moist from perspiration the flies settle upon it and 

 produce a sore under the cap. They thrust their proboscis 

 through the calico, and suck up the animal juices, thereby 

 producing as much irritation as before. It is therefore neces- 

 sary to place a pad under the cap ; but we prefer to dispense 

 with this means of protection and to employ the simple plan 

 first given. The sheep cap is made from a pattern which 

 corresponds to the general shape of the sheep's head from 

 between his ears to about half-way down his nose. There are 

 two tape loops, one for each ear, and at the nose end of the 

 cap there are two long and free tapes. On putting on the cap, 

 k is placed over the head, the loops are placed over the ears, 



