[Illustration: FIG. 31--Ox warble-fly (_Hypoderma lineata_).] [Illustration: FIG. 32--Sheep bot-fly (_Gastrophilus nasalis_).] The bot-flies of cattle or the oxwarbles (Fig. 31) gain an entrance into the alimentary canal in the same way, that is, by the eggs being licked from the hairs on the body where they have been laid by the adult fly. But instead of passing on into the stomach they collect in the esophagus and later make their way through the walls of this organ and through the tissues of the body until they at last reach a place along the back just under the skin. Here as they are completing their development they make more or less serious sores on the backs of the infested animals. The hides on such animals are rendered nearly valueless by the holes made by the larvæ. When fully mature they drop to the ground and complete their transformations. The sheep bot-flies (Fig. 32) lay their eggs in the nostrils of sheep. The larvæ pass up into the frontal sinuses where they feed on the mucus, causing great suffering and loss. Many other species of animals are infested with their own particular species of bots. Several instances are recorded where the oxwarble has occurred in man, always causing much suffering and sometimes death. One or more species of bot-flies occurring in the tropical parts of America frequently attack man. The early larval stage soon after it has entered the skin is known as the _Ver macaque_. Later stages as _torcel_ or _Berne_. The presence of the larvæ produces very painful and troublesome sores. It is supposed that the adult flies (one species of which is _Dermatobia cyaniventris_) lay their eggs on the skin which the larvæ penetrate as soon as they hatch. It has also been suggested that they might reach the subcutaneous tissue by migrating from the alimentary canal as do some of the other bot-flies. A very serious eye disease, _Egyptian opthalmia_, is known to be spread by the house-flies and others. These flies are often abundant about the eyes, especially of children suffering from this disease. It is suspected that certain small flies (Oscinidæ) in the southern part of the United States are responsible for the spread of disease known as "sore eye." FLEAS The fleas used to be considered as degenerate Diptera and were placed with that group but they are now classed as a separate order (Siphonaptera). Within recent years these little pests have come into special prominence on account of their importance in connection with the spread of the plague. The fact that they are so abundant everywhere and that they will so readily pass from one host to another makes the possibility of their spreading infectious diseases very great. Besides the kinds that are concerned in the transmission of plague, which are discussed in another chapter, there are many other kinds infesting various wild and domesticated animals and a few attacking birds.