348 GROOMING. 



three weeks (Joly), produce small worms, which irritate the 

 skin by their movements, and thus prompt the horse to lick 

 them off and take them into his mouth, with the result that 

 they gain access to various parts of the alimentary canal, 

 to the walls of which they attach themselves, and are then 

 called bots. During the months hot flies are laying, grooms 

 should be careful to examine their horses after the animals 

 come in, and pick off and destroy all the eggs which they 

 can find. 



We may temporarily protect a horse from the attacks of 

 flies by lightly sponging him over with a mixture of I part 

 paraffin oil to 10 parts of milk, well shaken up. A better 

 emulsion can be made with similar proportions of this oil 

 and water, and adding a little gum tragacanth. Gobbels- 

 Copette (Nos Animaux Domestiques] states that in Canada a 

 mixture of paraffin oil prepared as follows, is used with much 

 success for spraying animals twice a week, in order to protect 

 them from flies : Dissolve 2 oz. of yellow soap in a pint of 

 boiling water ; add a quart of paraffin ; briskly stir up the 

 mixture until it forms a creamy emulsion ; and use for spray- 

 ing purposes, I part of the mixture to 9 parts of water. The 

 Count St. Marsault (Journal d? Agriculture pratique] recom- 

 mends an ointment (to be applied to the body by means of a 

 rag) made by boiling for five minutes a large handful of laurel 

 leaves in two pounds of lard. A decoction of walnut leaves is 

 said to have a good effect for the purpose in question. 



In many hot countries, flies annoy horses so much that 

 special precautions have to be taken against their entrance into 

 stables, which they as a rule invade only during the hot hours 

 of the day. They may be kept out by placing a net across 

 the stable door and windows which we may suppose are left 

 open for purposes of coolness provided that light is not let 

 through from the other side. Flies appear to experience no 

 fear in passing through the meshes of a net which is held up 



