Red Deer 61 
leaves the poor beasts, or they scamper off to take refuge under some neighbouring trees, or in any 
other deep shady place, where the flies do not follow them. 
The deer have indeed good cause to dread the approach of one of these bee-like bot-flies, for, 
on coming close to the nostrils, it squirts out a drop of fluid containing minute, active maggots. 
These adhere firmly to the tender skin by means of hooks provided for the purpose, and, when once 
attached, they are exceedingly difficult to get rid of. By means of the hooks these troublesome 
maggots wriggle themselves onwards until they come to lie at the back of the throat, all the while 
feeding on the mucus resulting from the irritation, and increasing in size until they attain the length 
of an inch, or even an inch and a half. The fully-developed maggots are of a dirty yellow colour, 
with the upper border of the last segment of the body yellowish brown, and the head and tenth 
segment marked above with small dark spots. They are finally ejected from the throat by the 
coughing and sneezing of their host, when they fall to the ground, and enter the quiet pupal stage 
of their existence, becoming pupae from half a day to two days after being ejected. This stage lasts 
from twenty-one to forty days, but in colder weather it is much longer before the fully-developed 
fly emerges. 
Roe deer, fallow deer, reindeer, and elk are each troubled by a species of bot-fly 
belonging to the same genus, and having a similar life-history. Red deer and roe are 
also attacked by a parasite resembling the dreaded ox-warble, for an account of which 
I must refer my readers again to Mr. Grimshaw’s article. 
SHOT THROUGH THE HEART 
