Xl WARBLE FLY. 



METHODS OF PREVENTION AND REMEDY. 



The notes directly following refer to prevention of attack, or of 

 the fly " striking," as it is called, by application of washes or dressings 

 such as may make the coat of the animal obnoxious to the fly, or may 

 destroy the vitality of the egg, or may kill the newly-hatched maggot ; 

 also the feeding-ground being where there is shelter — natural or 

 artificial — when the fly is about, or where there is access to water. 



The following notes confirm the opinion (brought forward, I 

 believe, first by Bracy Clark, and held by many writers) that the 

 Warble Fly dues not follow the cattle over ivater, conseq^ientlij that allowing 

 access to shallow pools ?s a great iveservation from attack : — 



The first observation on these points was sent me by Mr. Henry 

 Thompson, M.R.C.V.S., Aspatria, Cumberland: — "The amount of 

 warbles on an animal and amount of warbled animals in a herd will 

 be rather difficult to arrive at, but I would say from fifteen to twenty 

 warbles on the back of each animal, — that is, grazing on lands well 

 sheltered with trees ; but where there are good large ponds, and the 

 animals go into the water and stand during the hottest part of the day, 

 they are not so rife. From what I can gather, as well as from observa- 

 tion, I find the Warble Fly will not cross any extent of water." 



June 28th, 1884. "Daring the recent hot weather I have frequently 

 seen my feeding bullocks suddenly gallop off, with their tails erect, and 

 rush into the nearest water, where they seem to be less tormented by 

 the flies." — J. B. Scott, Sutterton Grange, near Spalding. 



"Our cattle do not suffer much, but then we have plenty of 

 marshy ground close at hand, and a good deal of timber which affords 

 shade." — Prof. W. Fkeam, College of Agriculture, Downton (1881). 



In a communication on warble prevention sent me by Mr. B. St. 

 John Ackers, of Prinknash, Painswick, he mentioned regarding the 

 cattle, " Those that are in sheds escape entirely ^Ylth me." 



The following note, sent me by Mr. W. E. Cattley, Edderton, 

 Ross-shire, N.B., refers very specially to benefit (with one exception) 

 from housing cattle as a preventive to attack : — " A lot of three-year- 

 old heifers (black polls), which had not been housed last summer 

 except in bad weather, were all affected. They have now calves at 

 foot. The short-horn crosses used for the dairy, which had been kept 

 in at night all the summer, were clear of warbles, except a three-year- 

 old, which was always in the house at night." 



Whilst I was still resident at Sedbury Park, Gloucestershire, I 

 have seen our cows going at the swinging trot that shows fly attack 

 in the exposed pastures, or in the park, but I never saw this in 



