94 
WARBLE FLY. 
“ In this part of Ireland (West Connaught) farmers are completely 
in the dark as to treatment of parasites and grubs in stock and crops. 
When their cattle are seriously afflicted from warbles—although still 
believing that they are a sign of health in cattle—they run to the next 
“ charm-maker,” of whom there are an abundance, and pay to the 
“ charmers ” treble the sum of money which, if expended upon 
medicine, would leave their stock hale and healthy. 
“ In the barren and bleak districts, exposed to the scorching rays 
of the sun, and without stream or pond, tree or shrub, to afford 
coolness or shade, the hardy mountain cattle suffer to an alarming 
extent from the ravages of the Warble Fly when laying its eggs. The 
tract of country through which some of these poor animals career is 
often surprising. It extends to miles, and eventually causes their 
owners no little trouble and expense to bring them back again. The 
injury done to the animals themselves from exhaustion during the 
summer and from irritation in the winter is so great that many 
a strong and healthy animal becomes languid, unable to eat, and 
unable consequently to thrive. These cattle have not been properly 
housed, and oftener than not half-fed, and the warble-maggot develops 
with extraordinary rapidity and to a large size. The larger the 
maggot grows the more pus it requires for its support, so that, what 
with insufficient food and the great annoyance caused, the cow 
becomes a fit subject for the “charmer” and her spells. She is 
generally an old woman, and the methods of procedure are very 
simple. When she enters the stable of the sick cow she calls for 
some butter or lard. After it has been placed before her she prays for 
a time to some spirit (that 1 wot not of, nor could I find out). After 
the spirit of destruction is exorcised she takes the butter and gently 
covers the breathing aperture of the maggot and crosses it. The 
result of all this is that the maggots die, and fall, or are easily picked 
out, without causing the least pain. I know not what good the 
incantations of the “ charmer ” may have exercised, but a little butter 
or lard, and I should say a small quantity of sulphur (I believe the 
“ charmers” use sulphur) laid on as we have seen will leave a warble¬ 
less hide.”— P. M‘Hale Greer, Ballycastle, Co. Mayo, Ireland. 
Summer attack and means of 'prevention. 
The point which it appears to me we have most to depend on for 
getting rid of this wasteful attack is knowledge of some dressing or 
wash which will prevent fly-attack and terror from the same in 
summer. Destroying the maggots in the warbles necessarily destroys 
one fly for each maggot, and where the maggots are destroyed there 
we find attack correspondingly lessened; but the business is to yet 
people to do this. 
