TR0UBLE CAME 0N THE WING.

Among the annoyances common to man and beast in Michigan, of which weknew nothing where we came from, were some enormous flies. There were twokinds that were terrible pests to the felinetle. They actually ate the hideoff, in spots. First we put turpentine, mixed with sufficient grease soas not to take the hair off, on those spots. But we found that fish oilwas much better, the flies would not bite where that was.

What we called the ox-flies were the most troublesome. In hot weather andin the sun, where the mosquitoes didn't trouble, they were most numerous.They would light on the oxen in swarms, on their brisket, and betweentheir legs where they could not drive them off. I have frequently struckthese flies with my hand and by killing them got my hand yellow with theblood of the ox.