116 Sheep Management. 



SHEEP WITH GRUB IN THE HEAD. 



Another evil to be feared in sheep husbandry is 

 grub in the head of sheep. Experienced sheepmen 

 generally admit that sheep which are grazing in 

 brush and woodland are in greater danger of being 

 troubled with these grubs than sheep which are 

 feeding on clear pastures. 



In the hot summer weather while the sheep is 

 resting beside bushes and shady trees chewing its 

 cud or perhaps sleeping, a big fly lights on its nose. 

 Generally a little fluid, not at all harmful, is run- 

 ning from the nostrils of the sheep. This fly settles 

 down on the nostrils and at times will even crawl 

 up into the sheep's nose in order to feed on this 

 fluid. In the meantime it also deposits some eggs or 

 perhaps young worms, which the sheep in breath- 

 ing draws up into its head between the eyes where 

 there are cavities in the nasal passages. The eggs 

 hatch, or the worms develop into large-sized 

 grubs, which look like those commonly found un- 

 der rotten stumps or plowed sod ground. The 

 only difference is that the grubs found in the head 

 of sheep, when full grown, are not quite half the 

 size of those seen in the field or under stumps. 

 In some instances as many as eleven of such grubs 

 of different sizes and ages have been found in a 

 single sheep that had died with grub in the head. 



