﻿38 
  WALTER 
  W. 
  FROGGATT 
  — 
  SHEEP-MAGGOT 
  FLIES 
  

  

  it 
  was 
  publicly 
  stated 
  at 
  their 
  first 
  meeting 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  the 
  loss 
  in 
  

   wool 
  and 
  sheep, 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  low 
  estimate, 
  was 
  a 
  million 
  pounds 
  in 
  New 
  South 
  Wales 
  

   alone, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  just 
  as 
  bad 
  in 
  Queensland, 
  and 
  spreading 
  into 
  the 
  other 
  States. 
  

  

  In 
  July 
  1913, 
  a 
  public 
  meeting 
  of 
  pastoralists 
  was 
  convened, 
  at 
  which 
  a 
  committee 
  

   of 
  station-owners 
  was 
  formed 
  to 
  consider 
  what 
  methods 
  should 
  be 
  adopted 
  to 
  deal 
  

   with 
  this 
  serious 
  pest, 
  and 
  a 
  deputation 
  waited 
  upon 
  the 
  Minister 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  to 
  

   ask 
  for 
  assistance 
  and 
  co-operation. 
  He 
  agreed 
  to 
  their 
  request, 
  and 
  through 
  the 
  

   Experiments 
  Committee 
  appointed 
  the 
  Chief 
  Inspector 
  of 
  Stock, 
  the 
  Government 
  Ento- 
  

   mologist, 
  and 
  the 
  Sheep 
  and 
  Wool 
  Expert, 
  to 
  draw 
  up 
  a 
  scheme 
  of 
  operations 
  and 
  submit 
  

   it 
  for 
  his 
  consideration. 
  The 
  establishment 
  of 
  an 
  Experiment 
  Station 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  

   of 
  an 
  area 
  infested 
  with 
  sheep-maggot 
  fly 
  was 
  approved 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  scientific 
  investigator 
  

   to 
  take 
  charge, 
  and 
  a 
  camp 
  assistant 
  to 
  look 
  after 
  the 
  station, 
  were 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  

   Government. 
  

  

  As 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  preliminary 
  work 
  was 
  of 
  an 
  entomological 
  nature, 
  the 
  details, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  the 
  camp, 
  were 
  left 
  in 
  my 
  hands, 
  and 
  a 
  circular 
  was 
  sent 
  out 
  

   to 
  the 
  district 
  Stock 
  Inspectors 
  making 
  enquiries 
  as 
  to 
  suitable 
  sheep 
  stations 
  in 
  their 
  

   respective 
  districts 
  where 
  a 
  camp 
  could 
  be 
  formed. 
  

  

  The 
  Brewarrina 
  district 
  was 
  chosen, 
  and 
  accompanied 
  by 
  the 
  Stock 
  Inspector, 
  I 
  

   visited 
  Yarrawin 
  Station 
  on 
  Marrar 
  Creek, 
  about 
  36 
  miles 
  from 
  Brewarrina. 
  Through 
  

   the 
  kindness 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  W. 
  and 
  T. 
  Dickson 
  we 
  were 
  enabled 
  to 
  select 
  a 
  very 
  suitable 
  

   site 
  near 
  the 
  crutching 
  yards, 
  where 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  sheep 
  were 
  yarded 
  and 
  dressed. 
  

  

  My 
  son, 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  L. 
  Froggatt, 
  who 
  had 
  specialised 
  in 
  bio-chemistry, 
  was 
  appointed 
  

   Officer 
  in 
  Charge 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  Sheep-Maggot 
  Fly 
  Experiment 
  Station, 
  and 
  the 
  

   camp 
  attendant, 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Lucas, 
  holds 
  a 
  certificate 
  as 
  a 
  Stock 
  Inspector. 
  The 
  Experi- 
  

   ment 
  Station 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  camp 
  containing 
  two 
  large 
  living 
  tents, 
  a 
  laboratory 
  tent, 
  

   and 
  a 
  kitchen 
  tent. 
  The 
  idea 
  of 
  using 
  tents 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  camp 
  could 
  be 
  moved 
  to 
  

   another 
  district, 
  if 
  required, 
  with 
  very 
  little 
  expense. 
  

  

  Field 
  investigations 
  along 
  various 
  lines 
  were 
  commenced 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  Sept- 
  

   ember, 
  and 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  himself 
  been 
  spending 
  nearly 
  half 
  his 
  time 
  in 
  camp, 
  study- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  life-histories, 
  range 
  and 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  flies 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  

   among 
  the 
  sheep, 
  and 
  examining 
  all 
  dead 
  animals, 
  offal, 
  and 
  animal 
  remains 
  found 
  in 
  

   the 
  paddocks. 
  The 
  Experimentalist 
  is 
  working 
  on 
  the 
  chemical 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  question, 
  

   studying 
  the 
  different 
  combinations 
  of 
  substances 
  and 
  chemicals 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  to 
  

   attract 
  flies 
  to 
  poisoned 
  baits, 
  or 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  from 
  laying 
  their 
  eggs 
  or 
  maggots 
  

   upon 
  wool. 
  While 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  experiments 
  have 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  given 
  only 
  nega- 
  

   tive 
  results, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  time 
  before 
  some 
  combination 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  that 
  

   may 
  be 
  as 
  attractive 
  as 
  the 
  odour 
  of 
  the 
  wool 
  upon 
  the 
  sheep. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  many 
  important 
  points 
  that 
  will 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  during 
  these 
  experiments 
  ; 
  

   such 
  as 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  indigenous 
  birds 
  that 
  are 
  credited 
  with 
  destroying 
  

   flies 
  or 
  maggots 
  ; 
  the 
  best 
  methods 
  to 
  be 
  adopted 
  in 
  laying 
  poison 
  baits 
  for 
  rabbits, 
  

   dingoes, 
  and 
  foxes 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  natural 
  parasites 
  upon 
  the 
  flies, 
  maggots 
  and 
  pupae. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  predaceous 
  enemies 
  of 
  these 
  flies 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  interesting 
  species, 
  

   such 
  as 
  the 
  Staphylinid 
  beetle 
  (Creophilus 
  erythrocephalus), 
  popularly 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  

   " 
  Devil's 
  Coach-horse." 
  These 
  carnivorous 
  beetles 
  are 
  most 
  plentiful 
  under 
  the 
  

   smaller 
  dead 
  mammals 
  and 
  birds, 
  and 
  must 
  account 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  maggots 
  

   during 
  the 
  season, 
  for 
  in 
  captivity 
  they 
  seize 
  a 
  maggot 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  dropped 
  into, 
  

   the 
  jar. 
  

  

  