DISEASES OF THE STOMACH AND BOWELS. 313 



bot, or of the effects created by the little creature's presence 

 upon the horse's general system. ITearly all agree in this, 

 however: that, in some way, the bot does kill the horse 

 The common opinion is that he effects this by seizing hold 

 of the stomach, from some rabid propensity which possesses 

 him at certain undetermined periods, and eating or cutting 

 his way entirely through its walls; and as to a remedy, that 

 all depends upon the speedy administration of something 

 which will compel him to relinquish his hold before his 

 ravenous work has produced irreparable injury. 



These views are grossly erroneous. From personal in- 

 vestigations, the author is satisfied that the public mind has 

 been entirely misled upon the whole subject. "What is sup- 

 posed to be the ravages of the bot, is, in reality, the work 

 of some inflammatory disease. To begin with, the natural 

 history of the bot has never been properly understood. The 

 bot is hereditary with the horse, and is born into the world 

 with him, the colt, at the moment of foaling, having the little 

 parasite in his stomach in as perfect a state as the horse of 

 six years. He is found attached to the cuticular or insensi- 

 ble coating in the upper portion of the stomach — not by his 

 head, as is popularly supposed, but hanging by his tail. For 

 a mouth he has a little orifice, no larger than the point of a 

 cambric needle, with which he feeds upon the food in the 

 stomach, after it has been softened down into chyme. This 

 tiny mouth he can close against any substance which offends 

 his dainty taste ; and, being protected by a scaly or bony cov- 

 ering, upon which no acid, caustic, or poison will operate, he 

 is much safer from the action of any hurtful element than 

 the horse into whose stomach he is introduced. There is 

 no evidence that in his normal condition he ever injures 

 the horse's health in the least degree. 



The bot is an entirely different insect from the grub, or 

 worm, with which he has no relationship whatever. The 

 latter is the offspring of the gad-fly, and is, undoubtedly, an 

 intruder. It is a species of light yellow worm, which passes 

 away from the horse in the excrements during the months 



