The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-08-16
Bots In Horses.


As the bot-iy is now nits glory. and
deposits its eggs by the hundred, a brief
description of the pecuharities Of those
which affect the horse will be in season.
Bot, BOTTLES, or gadflies, constitute a
tribe of dipterOus insects, well known to
farmers for the annoyance which several
of their species give to sheep, cattle, and
horses. The perfect insects are short
lived, and not often Scent and the
larvae spend most of their existence
under the skin, within the stomach, or
otherwise in the interior of Eliminating
animals. Yet the whole tribe, in all
the stages of existence, is remarkable
for extraordinary habits, nice mechanical
adjustments, and a general character OF
wondrous instinct and beautiful organi-
cation. ..... ...--
The great spotted horse-bot, Gastero-
philus equi is one of the largest, and
by far the most common, not only OF
the genus, but of the tribe. Its length
is about seven lines; its general color is
clear yellowish-brown; its heads broad
and Obtuse; its thOraX has a somewhat
grayish color; its abdomen is rusty
brown, with a tinge of yellow, and a
series of dOrsal spots; and its wings are
whitish, with a black undulated trans
verse fascia behind the middle. The
female. in a series of sudden deseents
or dartings, deposits her eggs. upon the
hair of some part of the horse, within
reach of his mouth, making them in
stantIv adhere by means of glutinous
secretion which she gives out along
with them, and sometimes depOsitlng
upon a single horse as many as four or
five hundred eggs Each egg is some
what conical in shape, the attached
end forming the apex; and when
seen through magnifying-g1ass Is sha-
greened on the surface with transverse
and longitudinal stri8. The horse, in
licking himself, takes up a considera-
BILE proportion of the eggs with his
tongue, the eggs disclose their animat-
ed contents either while on the tongue,
or very speedily after passing into the
stomach; and the Larvae Immediately
attach themselves to the stOmach,s in
ner tissue, and there remain in security,
from the end of summer or beginning
of autumn till late IN spring, enjoying
temperature of about one hundred
and two degrees of Fahrenheit, suffering
no injury from the action of the gastric
Juices, feeding upon the mucous or the
chyme, and gradually, though slowly,
growing to maturity of size Each
brva, is shaped somewhat like a flask
or elongated bag; it has a pale, yellow
ish color; Ut possesses at the sides of it's
mouth two hooks, with which it an
chors itself to the Stomach mem
a3rane,l ahd i6.isg e1Ieifdl led kvith 81 sex eFal
belts or rings of spinelefs and project
ing points, by means of Which it regains
its position when, at any time, it acct
dentaIly loses its hold. When it attains
matutity, it, disengages itself from its
anchorage, is carried with the horses
food into the villous portion of the
stomach, passes out-4vith the same, and
is evacuated with the dung. The eject
ed maggot seeks a place of shelter,
buries itself in the ground, and changes
into q chrysahs; the insect, in this lat
ter form resembles the Iarya in shape,
but is more rigid, and has reddish
brown color. After lying for few
weeks inactive, it escapes by the narrow
end of the pupa-case, and assumes its
final form Of an image, or fly.
Many stern opinions have been enter
tanned as to excessive injuries done to
the horse by the above described great
common bot, and as to the disturbances
of using strong medicinal means for de-
strOying the insect; but all such Opin-
ions are very nearly INSTRUMENTATION
It is fortunate for the horse, or rather
most beautifully ordained, that their
numbers are much reduced, and kept
within due limits, by the hazards they
are exposed to in the singular round of
their propagation. Some Of the eggs,
in the very act of their deposition, are
shaken off by the movements of the
horse; some, though firmly deposited,
are not taken up by the horse, or are
externally Matched from the action of
rain or other moisture, and in conse-
,quence perish; many are destroyed dur
ing the horses process of nastication;
many fail to make n Judgment in stom-
ach, but pass on to the intestines; and
| not a few of the matured larva re
dropped in such situations as to be
crushed by the horses foot, picked up
by the birds, or unable to find a suitable
retreat for their transmutation into
chrysalides. Altogether we may calcu-
| late that one hundred or upwards per-
ish in the state of either egg or larva
| for every individual which attains the
| perfect condition of the hy.-Prairi6
Farmer.