340 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 



In the 'Journal of the South-Eastern Agricultural College,' Wye, Kent, 

 No. 9, issued in April last, Mr. F. V. Theobald has contributed an instruc- 

 tive article on " Diseases caused by Horse Worms and their Treatment." 

 The following appear to be the major pests to the Horse : — 



Amongst insects the Horse has several foes, including four species of 

 Bot Flies. One of these flies, so far unidentified, forms warbles or tumours 

 under the skin, like the Ox Warble. Probably this is Hypoderma silenus, 

 but it is by no means common in this country ; Mr. Theobald only remem- 

 bers having seen one Horse attacked by it. The other Warble Flies live 

 as parasites in their larval state inside the stomach and intestines (Gastro- 

 philus equi, G. hamorrhoidalis, and G. nasalis), where the bots cause annoy- 

 ance and loss of condition, but seldom death. Lice of three species also 

 annoy Horses turned out to grass, namely, the piercing-mouthed Hcemato- 

 pinus macrocephalus, or the Large Horse Louse, and two smaller species 

 related to the Bird Lice, known as Trichodectes pilosus and T. pubescens, the 

 former being the one most frequently seen, and is one of the three causes 

 of that disfiguring rubbing of the tail. Numerous Diptera, such as the Gad 

 Fly (Tabanus bovinus and T. autumnalis), Brimps [Hamatopoda pluvialis), 

 and others, suck their blood ; whilst the Forest Fly (Hippobosca equina) 

 causes annoyance in a few localities by tearing the hair and irritating the 

 skin generally. 



The three forms of " scab " or " mange " are also found on the Horse, 

 caused by Sarcoptes scabiei v. equi, Psoroptes communis v. equi, and 

 Symbiotes communis v. equi, mainly on weakly and ill-kept stock. 



Amongst the vermiceous pests of the Horse we find representatives of 

 the three great groups : Cestoda, or Tapeworms ; Trematoda, or Flukes; and 

 Nematoda, or Round Worms ; but in this country the two former are rare 

 and comparatively unimportant, for the loss they account for is slight. On 

 the other hand, the Nematoda, or Round Worms, often are the cause of 

 serious mortality, especially in young animals. 



The Tapeworms found in the Horse are Tceniaperfoliata, T. mamillana, 

 and T. plicata. All three are uncommon, and do not seem to have 

 occasioned any loss, nor do they seem to cause much inconvenience to their 

 host. The two first-named species live in the intestines, but T. plicata is 



