lOS COMPENDIUM OF THE VETERINARY ART. 



the horse, by ulcerating the stomach in a con- 

 siderable 'degree ; and cases are recorded 

 where they have penetrated quite through the 

 stomach. It is astonishing wkh what force these 

 worms adhere, and how tenacious they are of 

 life : they have been found to resist the strongest 

 jToisons, nor have we yet discovered any medi- 

 cine capable of destroying them, or of detach- 

 ing- them from their situation. It seems pro- 

 bable that this worm, like the caterpillar, 

 undergoes several changes. It is said to be 

 originally a fly, which, depositing its eggs in 

 the horse's coat, causes an itching that in- 

 duces him to bite the part. In this way he is 

 supposed to swallow some of tlie eggs, which, 

 by the heat of the stomach, are brought to 

 maturity, and produce hots. When the bots are 

 fa to assume the chrysalis state, they are 

 spontaneously detached, and gradually pass off 

 with the ftcces. This is the most rational ac- 

 count we have of their production. 



It has been asserted, that the fly from 

 which bots are produced crawls into the anus 

 of horses, and deposits- its eggs there; that the 

 worms when hatched soon find their way fur- 

 ther up the intestines, and often penetrate 

 mtd t]ie stomach. This account is literally 



