20 
WARBLE FLY. 
this; the heavy, thick skin will protect the beef from being damaged 
with the cow’s tongue; therefore, in my opinion, the term ‘ licked 
beef ’ is a misnomer. 
“Now, what causes the damaged meat, or beef, is the chronic 
inflammation set up by the warbles in the skin, which extends to the 
connective tissues, thence to the flesh, producing the straw-coloured, 
jelly-like appearance of a new-slaughtered carcase of beef, which in 
twelve to twenty-four hours, when exposed to the air, turns a dirty 
greenish yellow colour; and this spoils the beef, having a frothy dis¬ 
charge oozing from the surface, with a soapy-like look ; hence the 
name, ‘licked beef.”’—H. T. 
With regard to this altered material, which has to be scraped 
away, Mr. John Child, Manager of the Leeds and District Hide, Skin, 
and Fat Co., wrote me on the 3rd of July:—“ In the worst part of 
the warble season I could get you bucketfuls of inflamed tissue (com¬ 
monly called by the butchers, ‘jelly’), cut and scraped from the 
carcase after the hide is taken off. The formation of this matter must 
be a great drain on the health, condition, and quality of the animal, 
and must be a great loss to somebody.’’ 
The height of the warble-season was then quite past, but on 
July 16th Mr. Child forwarded me a sample of this so-called “jelly,” 
with the remark that it was “difficult to get at this time of year. 
When the grub leaves the hide, the inflamed tissue soon diminishes, 
and in a very few weeks disappears altogether ; but during the most 
active part of the warble-season the condition of the carcase of the 
animal is such as to considerably reduce the value to the butcher.” 
—J. C. 
This disgusting-looking sample of scrapings from the inflamed 
surface appeared to the unpractised eye as a mass of variously dis¬ 
coloured, soft, wet, or jelly-like-looking material, in which there were 
here and there orange- or ochre-coloured patches or streaks, and dark 
red lumps or patches like coagulated blood ; and in this material, or 
jelly, the warble-maggots were still to be found. 
This sample I forwarded, by his kind permission, to Prof. Penberthy, 
who wrote me regarding it as follows :—“ I have made an examination 
of the post mortem specimen sent. The so-called ‘jelly ’ is the product 
of inflammation, and there is every reason for believing that this 
inflammation is due to the warble. In the small portion of material 
received there were three apparently healthy warbles, evidence of two 
others in a decomposing state, and three cavities where other warbles 
had been lodged. The material is not fit for human consumption. 
I think it very deleterious to the health and comfort of the affected 
animal.” 
In reply to my enquiry as to how I should rightly describe the 
