198 THE GADFLY. 



What appeared to us very remarkable, and is a fact 

 known to all the missionaries, is, that the different 

 species do not associate together, and that at differ- 

 ent hours of the day you are stung by distinct species. 

 Every time that the scene changes, and, to use the 

 simple expression of the missionaries, other insects 

 " mount guard," you have a few minutes, often a 

 quarter of an hour, of repose." * 



How constant must be the suffering, when a respite 

 of a few minutes is a fact too ob\'ious to escape 

 general observation ! and what reason have we to be 

 thankful, that we are free from such incessant 

 torment ! 



But among the multitude of flies to which my at- 

 tention has been directed in the course of the present 

 letter, I had almost forgotten one species, mentioned 

 by Shakspeare himself, under the name of " Brize." 

 It is that we usually term the gadfly (CEstrus bovis). 

 With its habits, your present residence in the coun- 

 trry will afford you ample opportunities of becoming 

 acquainted ; and, in fact, the terror wliich it inspires 

 among our herds, is such as to attract the notice of 

 the most superficial observer. In this, as in many 

 other instances, we find our poets furnish us with the 

 most striking, and, at the same time, the most accu- 

 rate description. The gadflies appear during the 

 * Personal Narrative, vol. v. p. 93. 



