332 



CATTLB. 



the parts. They may be destroyed by the appHcatidn of oil or grease 

 which kills them by stopping up their breathing pores. When they are 

 carelessly pulled off by hand the head sometimes breaks off and remains 

 in the skin, causing a suppurating sore and possibly septic infection of 

 the animal. 



Fleas or Chigres. The common flea, (pulex irritans) , penetrates 

 the cuticle with a pair of very sharp lancets attached to its head, and 

 draws blood from the animal. They become annoying to cattle when 

 they are present in great numbers, and cause a diminution of milk. 



The chigre, (Sarcopsylla penetrans), met with in some of the western 

 States, burrows beneath or within the skin, and deposits its eggs, caus- 

 ing the animal to rab the parts. A small vesicle may form, succeeded 

 occasionally by the formation of a small ulcer. 



Treatment. When fleas or chigres cause much annoyance to cattle 

 . it can be prevented by moistening their skin every morning with tobacco 

 juice or carbolic-acid water, made in the proportion of one ounce of the 

 acid to two quarts of water. 



Venomous Stings. These may be inflicted by scorpions, tarantu- 

 las, wasps, bees, hornets, etc. Occasionally an animal may be stung by 

 a wasp or ' 'bumble-bee' ' and owing to some peculiar state of the blood of 

 the animal the injured skin will swell and form a painful enlargement. 

 If stung by a swarm of bees the animal may become very sick and pros- 

 trated. The external application of sugar of lead water, one ounce to 

 the pint, will usually relieve the pain and swelling. When the animal 

 suffers constitutionally, two drams of carbonate of ammonia or four 

 ounces of whisky should be administered every two hours until the ani- 

 mal rallies from the shock. 



Flies and Mosquitos. These may become dangerous to cattle^in 

 sections where malignant anthrax prevails, as they may be the carriers 

 of poison from the diseased or dead animal to the healthy one. 



The tsetse fly, (Glossina morsitans), is very destructive to cattle, 

 their sting causing death in many cases. Maggots hatched- from the 

 eggs deposited by flies upon wounds frequently are very annoying to the 

 animal, and retard the healing process. The maggots from the screw- 

 worm fly, (lyUCiLiviA MACEHARiA), burrow in wounds and cause in- 

 creased inflammation, and have been known to cause the death of cattle. 

 When maggots or screw-worms appear on wounds of the skin, be they 

 de&p or superficial, no time should be lost in getting rid of them. The 

 application of turpentine or carbolized water, (one ounce to a pint), 



