GAD-FLY. 463 
this cruel enemy never daring to pursue them 
further.” 
The zimb does not appear, like the ox gad-fly, to 
confine its attacks to the cattle, but becomes a gene- 
ral scourge, and inflicts its wounds on the camel, 
the rhinoceros, and even the elephant, who suffer in 
proportion to the sensibility of their skins. The 
camel, when once attacked by this fly, must imme- 
diately remove to the sands of Atbara ; for every 
puncture which the zimb makes in his hide is fol- 
lowed by swelling, inflammation, and abscess ; his 
head, body, and legs, break out in large tumours, 
which discharge, and sometimes mortify, to the cer- 
tain destruction of the creature. The elephant and 
rhinoceros are better enabled to withstand the at- 
tacks of this formidable insect, on account of their 
thick skins ; but even these enormous creatures 
think it expedient to roll themselves at times in the 
mud, that they may thus form an artificial coat in 
addition to their natural one. 
“ All the inhabitants of the sea-coast of Melinda,” 
says Mr. Bruce, “ down to Cape Gardefan, to Saba, 
and the south of the Red Sea, are obliged to put 
themselves in motion and remove to the next sand 
in the beginning of the rainy season, to prevent all 
their stock of cattle from being destroyed. This is 
not a partial emigration ; the inhabitants of all the 
countries from the mountains of Abyssinia north- 
ward, to the confluence of the Nile and Astaboras, 
are once a year obliged to change their abode, and 
seek protection in the sands of Beja ; nor is there 
