115 
FIRST OBSERVATION OF WARBLE. 
opportunity, and to publish with all the details, illustrated by figures 
from the specimens. 
First observation of young Warble beneath the flesh side of the Hide. 
On Nov. 12tli of last year a cutting from a yearling sldn brought 
in that day was forwarded to me by Messrs. C. and H. Hatton, Barton 
Tannery, Hereford, with the note that they considered it showed first 
symptoms of warble maggot. This piece of hide was about 12 in. by 
4 in., and on the flesh side there were upwards of seven slight swellings 
about a quarter of an inch across, of a livid or bluish colour, each 
forming a raised centre to greatly-inflamed patches. Within the blue 
centre I found a small warble maggot, just large enough to be dis¬ 
tinguished by the naked eye when removed, but not plainly so whilst 
in the swelling, as the inside of this was of blood-red tissue, and the 
small maggot was blood-red also. Under the microscope it was easily 
distinguishable by its patches of minute prickles, but I was not able 
to remove one specimen quite entire. From the red mass or maggot¬ 
cell I found that a fine channel passed up through the hide to the 
surface. The course of this channel was easily traced by the blood 
which in handling the specimen was pressed from below along this 
gallery till it came out in a little drop on the outside of the hide. This 
passage of blood or matter appeared to have been going on previously 
in the natural course of things, for I found some specks of dried 
matter on the outside of the hide. It is important to observe that 
these channels varied in direction,—one was straight through the hide, 
another slanting, and another went up nearly to the outer part of the 
hide and there turned and went a little way just under the cuticle, and 
ended in a small cavity just below the surface.* 
From the presence of these sinall cavities just below the cuticle , and 
* It is a curious coincidence that just about the time when the first appearance 
of the live maggot was observed, as noted above, information from at least three 
localities was sent in of small lumps or warbles being produced so far that they 
could be felt on the backs of cattle, but which did not advance further in growth. 
Whether these were warble swellings, or were abortive warbles,—that is, swellings 
beneath the hide in which, from some cause unknown, possibly from unseasonable 
development, the maggot had died,—I cannot be certain, as being on living cattle 
examination was impossible. On one hand, some of the first observations of open 
warble in spring were taken from these cattle; on the other, a good many specimens 
of small swellings or tumour-like lumps formed on the flesh-side of removed hides 
were also sent me, which might be the cause of outside lumps. These con¬ 
tained maggots so completely and tightly grown up in the tissues that there was 
no communication with the hide. The maggots were of various ages up to 
approximately a quarter grown, and had obviously been long dead from the perished 
state of the internal organs; and it would be of considerable interest to know 
whether the death of these maggots was from unseasonable development or from 
some cause we could follow up serviceably. 
