385 



BOTS. 



BoTS — in some parts of the country called maw-worms — 

 are the little grub-like creatures voided by horses with the 

 dung, sometimes in considerable numbers^ more in certain 

 situations than in others, during the autumnal season of the 

 year, with the appearance of which all horse-people are per- 

 fectly familiar. These little animals are commonly regarded 

 and spoken of as worms: this, however, is a vulgar error of 

 which we cannot too soon divest ourselves, and no 

 longer view them in any other than their true light — as the 

 larv(B of the oestrus or gad-fly. For a very pleasing and 

 instructive essay on the bot, from which I shall take the 

 liberty to make some lengthy extracts, the profession are in- 

 debted to Mr. Bracy Clark : in so doing, however, let me 

 strongly recommend the work itself to the perusal of every 

 one desirous of investigating so interesting a subject. 



Mr. Clark tarticularises three species of bots : 

 they are such, however, as are rather distinguishable from one 

 another by incidents connected with their natural history 

 than by any specific corporal characters. The first is the 

 cestnis equi, the large spotted horse-bot, the most interesting 

 of the three to us in this country; the second is the oestrus 

 hemorrhoidalis, or fundament bot; the third, which Mr. Clark 

 has named the oestrus veterinus, is the red bot. 



Of the (estrus-equi, Mr. Clark says, "As it is necessary 

 to break into the circle of its history at some point, I shall 

 begin with an account of the q^^, and its deposition upon 

 the skin of the legs of the horse, which is done in the follow- 

 ing remarkable manner: — When the female has been im- 

 pregnated, and the eggs sufficiently matured, she seeks 

 among the horses a subject for her purpose, and, approach- 

 ing him on the wing, she carries her body nearly upright in 

 the air, and her tail, which is lengthened for the purpose, 

 curved inwards and upwards: in this way she approaches the 

 part where she designs to deposit the egg; and, suspending 

 herself for a few seconds before it, suddenly darts upon it. 



