250 PROCURING GENTLES. 



Williamson, " a piece of ox-liver on a hook in a 

 shady place, cut it deeply across and across in 

 various places on both sides ; then cover it over 

 lightly with small boughs, cabbage leaves, or any 

 thing that will shelter the flies, whilst they visit 

 it to feed and to lay their eggs. In a few days 

 innumerable fly-blows will be seen among the scari- 

 fications, when the liver should be taken down, and 

 laid in an earthen pan, about half filled with sand 

 and bran in equal quantities, somewhat moistened. 

 As the gentles acquire strength, they will quit 

 the liver, and bury themselves in the sand, from 

 which they may be taken as occasion requires, 

 when they will have scoured themselves, and be 

 fit to handle. The same liver will produce several 

 stocks, or successions of gentles, if properly ma- 

 naged. The largest will proceed from the blue- 

 bottle and gad-flies which attack livers with great 

 eagerness. From a dead cat, and indeed from a 

 rat, I have had such quantities of large gentles, 

 as kept me in stock for full six weeks." A sheep's 

 head, an old fowl, and the useless bodies of several 

 small animals kept in a moist, sultry place, will 

 soon produce gentles. Gentles are scoured and 

 rendered tough by keeping them for three or four 

 days in a mixture of sand, bran, and meal. 



When you have procured gentles, you must 

 endeavour to prevent them from turning or 

 changing into the chrysalis state. You will do so 



