INFLAMMATION' CAUSKD BY MAGGOTS. 



185 



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be procured from every provincial apothecary. Finally, 

 let the shepherd wash his hands carefully before going 

 from diseased to healthy sheep, using, if need be, a 

 little of either of these solutions ; and let him look well 

 to any injuries which his charges may receive in July, 

 August, and September, for these are the months most 

 favourable to the occurrence of leg evil. 



(147). Injiammation caused by Maggots. The 

 insects passing under the name of " Fly," though most 

 troublesome in August, attack the sheep from the 

 month of May to September, inclusive, dej)ositing their 

 eggs among the wool, in general about the tail, the 

 roots of the horns, or any part which affords, from its 

 filthy appearance, a prospect of suitable provision for 

 the maggot. When these eggs are hatched, a process 

 which is, in sultry weather, almost instantaneous, the 

 maggot erodes the skin, and speedily brings the adja- 

 cent parts into a fit condition for the reception of suc- 

 ceeding numbers of its species. 



The backs of long-wooled sheep are, from their ex- 

 sure, more liable to be selected by the flies, as a 

 eptacle for their eggs, than the corresponding parts 

 in such as are covered by a short thick fleece. 



No sooner has the maggot begun its operations, than 

 the sheep becomes uneasy and restless, rubbing itself 

 on stones and trees, and endeavouring, by every means 

 in its power to free itself from the annoyance. Teazed 

 by the constant irritation, fever soon sets in, and, if 

 the sheep be unrelieved by the shepherd's aid, death 

 ensues in four-and-twenty hours. 



It is only lately that attention has been paid to the 

 history of the insect pests which originate the mischief, 



