ANOTHER IMPORTANT BOT-FLY 317 



be destroyed by the use of a sharp razor without cutting much of 

 the hair. A thoughtful teamster in a field or elsewhere, if he 

 observes a bot-fly disturbing his horses, will try to kill the fly 

 with his hat or in some other way, and thus prevent further trouble. 



The United States Department of Agriculture has in the past 

 suggested the advisability of treating piles of dung by some process 

 which will destroy the bot. It is very evident that so long as the 

 horse is kept from licking his coat where eggs or larvae are, no 

 harm can befall him other than the irritation caused by the attacks 

 of the fly. 



Internal Treatments. A horse in poor condition, in whose 

 droppings the owner occasionally notices bots, is probably badly 

 enough affected to call for treatment, and a veterinarian should 

 be consulted. Sometimes turpentine is used internally, but it is 

 a dangerous remedy in the hands of the uninitiated. Four-ounce 

 doses of turpentine, four hours apart until three or four doses have 

 been given, the last dose followed by one ounce of powdered aloes, 

 have been recommended. Carbon bisulfid has also been used in 

 Italy with marked success. Six gelatine capsules, each containing 

 fifteen grams of this liquid, were given to two horses at intervals 

 of two hours. During the four following days the first horse 

 passed 497 bots; the second, in five days, passed 571 bots. Another 

 party gave one horse thirty-two grams in five hours, and the 

 animal later passed 203 bots. Horses so treated should be care- 

 fully watched, and if any bad effects result the treatment should 

 be stopped. We are not aware that this treatment has been used 

 in this country. The old and absurd " molasses and milk" remedy 

 has long since been found to be absolutely of no use. 



Red-tailed Bot-Fly. This is another bot-fly (G. hcemorroi- 

 dalis Linn.), occuring in some localities, which attacks horses. 

 Its habits are much like those of the species just described, and 

 the same remedial measures will apply. It is claimed that the 

 female deposits her eggs close to the mouth of the horse instead 

 of on its shoulders and fore-legs (Fig. 323). 



Another Important Bot-Fly. With habits somewhat like the 

 two preceding, this species (G. nasalis Linn.) was formerly believed 

 to prefer the region near the nose or "chin" for egg-laying, but 

 it is now said to oviposit on hairs. Horses seriously affected with 

 this bot should receive the attention of a good veterinarian. 



Control. The means of prevention are practically the same as 

 in the first-described species, G. equi. Touching the eggs every 



