312 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



tick lives on bushes, and attaches itself to the mammal only to secure 

 a feast of blood, for when gorged it drops off to sleep off its debauch 

 on the soil. The tick produces great irritation by boring into the 

 skin with its armed proboscis. If pulled out, the head and thorax 

 are often left in the skin. They may be covered with oil to shut out 

 the air from their breathing pores, or by touching them with a hot 

 penknife they will be impelled to let go their hold. 



GRUBS IN SKIN. 



PARASITE : Hypoderma Lineata. MALADY : Larvse (grubs) under 

 the skin. The larvae of the fly (probably Hypoderma lineata, 

 whose larvae in the skin of cattle are commonly known as "warbles") 

 are occasionally found in little sacs beneath the skin of horses. The 

 mature larva escapes in early summer and develops into a fly. In 

 districts where they exist the grubs should be pressed out of the skin 

 in the course of the winter and destroyed. 



LARVAE (GRUBS) ON THE SKIN, OR FLYBLOW. 



The following flies, among others, deposit their eggs on open 

 sores or on wet, filthy parts of the skin, where their larvae or grubs 

 give rise to serious trouble: Lucilia csesar (bluebottle), Lucilia homi- 

 nivorax (screwworm fly), Musca vomitoria (meat fly), and Sarco- 

 phaga carnaria (flesh fly). To prevent their attacks, filthy hair 

 should be removed and wounds kept clean and rendered antiseptic 

 by a lotion of carbolic acid 1 part, water 50 parts, or by a mixture of 

 1 ounce oil of tar in 20 ounces sweet oil, or by some other antiseptic. 

 If the grubs are already present they should be picked off and one of 

 these dressings freely applied. 



FLIES. 



A number of flies attack horses and suck their blood, producing 

 great annoyance, and in some instances death. These insects not 

 only suck the blood, but also often instill an acid poison into the skin, 

 and in exceptional cases transfer infectious germs from animal to 

 animal by inoculation. 



Various devices are resorted to to prevent the attacks, as to 

 sponge the skin with a decoction of walnut or elder leaves, of tobacco, 

 to dust with Persian insect powder, to keep a light blanket or fly net 

 on the horse, to close doors and windows with fine screens and 

 destroy by pyrethrum any flies that have gained admission, to re- 

 move all manure heaps that would prove breeding places for flies, to 

 keep the stalls clean, deodorize by gypsum, and to spread in them 

 trays of dry chloride of lime. For the poisoned bites apply am- 

 monia, or a solution of 1 part of carbolic acid in 20 parts of sweet 

 oil or glycerin, or one-fourth ounce bicarbonate of soda and 1 dram 

 of carbolic acid in a quart of water may be used. 



STINGS OF BEES, WASPS, AND HORNETS. 



These are much more irritating than the bites of flies, partly 

 because the barbed sting is left in the wound, and partly because of 

 the amount and quality of the venom. When a swarm attacks an 

 animal the result may prove fatal. Treatment consists in the ap- 

 plication of wet clay, or of a lotion of soda or ammonia, or of car- 

 bolic acid, or permanganate of potash, 2 grains to the ounce, or of 



