234 THE SHEPHERD'S MANUAL. . 



fore feet. The grub, when hatched from the egg, crawls up the 

 nostril, and lodges in the sinuses of the head, where it remains 

 feeding upon the mucus secreted by the membranes, until the fol- 

 lowing spring. In entering the nostrils and in leaving them, they 

 cause much irritation to the sheep. The remedy lies in prevent- 

 ing the fly from laying its eggs, and this is done by smearing the 

 nostrils of the sheep with tar, diluted with grease or butter. This 

 is both distasteful to the fly and fatal to the egg. By preparing a 

 pailful of the mixture, and smearing the noses of the sheep with a 

 brush, as they pass one by one through a half opened gate, every 

 morning during fly time (July and August), the sheep will be 

 spared much annoyance. When grubs are crawling clown the 

 nostril early in spring, they may be quickly dislodged by blowing 

 tobacco smoke into the nose through a pipe. 



The Maggot, so called, is a formidable enemy of the sheep. It 

 Is the larvae of the common flesh fly (Sarcophaga carnaria), the 

 blue-bottle fly (musca Ccesar), and the meat fly (musca vomitoria), 

 all of which deposit their eggs or living larvae upon decaying ani- 

 mal matter. When sheep are wounded by accident, or are allowed 

 to become filthy when troubled with diarrhea, these eggs or larvae 

 are deposited in vast numbers ; the ovaries of a single Sarcopha- 

 gus having been found to contain 20,000 eggs. The maggots soon 

 become active, and spreading from their quarters, attack the skin, 

 which they irritate and cause to secrete a serous fluid. In time 

 the skin is pierced, and the flesh suppurates and wastes away, 

 being devoured by the multitude of maggots which crawl upon it. 

 In wet seasons the mischief is greatly increased. To prevent them 

 it is necessary to carefully remove the wool from about the tail so 

 that filth may not gather ; to watch for any accidental wound ; and 

 in warm wet weather, for any dirty tags of wool upon which the 

 flies may deposit eggs. In case any maggots are found, there is 

 no better application than common crude petroleum, or whale-oil, 

 both of which are repulsive and fatal to fly and maggot. A sheep 

 that is " struck " with maggots will remain separate from the flock, 

 and may be lost sight of unless the flock is counted at least once 

 a day, and the straggler found. Weaning time, when the ewes 

 may suffer from caked udder, is an especially critical period, and 

 then extra watchfulness is called for. 



DISEASES OF THE FEET. 



Sheep are subject to many disorders of the feet. The structure 

 of the sheep's foot is different from that of the horse. It possesses 



