182 REMEDIES AGAINST BLACK-FLIES. 
stroy some of their breeding-places, but when there are so 
many this would make but little difference. Any chemicals 
to kill the larve and pupz in the water would also kill fish, 
as they would have to be used very strong. The only way 
we have to protect ourselves and our animals are repelling 
substances, such as stinking-oils and smudges. A number of 
repellants are sold and some of them are very good, for in- 
stance the ‘‘Black-fly Cream,’’ made in Portland, Maine. 
Our fishermen and hunters frequently use a mixture of kero- 
sene-oil and mutton-tallow, with which the exposed parts 
are greased. For animals any of the strong-smelling oilscan 
be used, but repeated applications are apt to injure them or 
to remove the hair. Oil of tar is a simple and easily applied 
wash. To make it, a quantity of coal-tar is placedin a large 
shallow receptacle in which is stirred a small quantity of oil 
of tar, or oil of turpentine, or any similar material. After 
filling the receptacle with water it is kept undisturbed for 
several days, when the animals to be protected are washed 
with the impregnated water whenever necessary. Smudges 
are best as a protection and the animals soon realize their 
protecting influence and crowd to them for shelter, even re- 
fusing to leave them when needed elsewhere. As the black- 
flies are active only during the day, and the mosquitoes to- 
wards evening and night, dwellers in our northern woods 
have a bad time of it and sometimes suffer very greatly on 
their account. It is easy, however, to drive these tormenters 
from houses or tents. By burning inside of them a little 
pyrethrum powder (Persian or Dalmatian insect-powder) 
upon a piece of bark these intruders are either killed or be- 
come so stupefied that they do not bite for some time. This 
method is in general use in the houses and stores of the Hud- 
son Bay Company, and the writer has always used it suc- 
cessfully in his numerous trips. The fumes of the burning in- 
sect-powder are not very offensive, at least not nearly so 
much so as the poisonous bites of such insects as black-flies 
and mosquitoes. 
MOSQUITOES. 
( Culicide). 
Like the flies belonging to the family of Simulidw just 
