NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



of blood which the bright South African sun rapidly 

 sterilised. In this way epidemics of disease were 

 checked, and the animals of the country saved from 

 utter destruction. 



During the many terrible epidemics of disease 

 which have swept the stock farmers' flocks and herds, 

 the vultures and ravens rendered valuable services in 

 devouring the carcasses with which the veld and hill- 

 sides were strewn. That terrible scourge of the stock 

 farmer, gal-lamziekte, has been shown to be due to 

 cattle eating bones with dry, rotten flesh on them, 

 and also to bones of animals whose bodies have decayed. 

 By eating the flesh and picking the bones clean these 

 birds reduce the prevalence of this disease. 



Vultures and ravens still do good and useful 

 service, especially in the native territories and north- 

 wards right through Africa. 



European farmers, however, are rapidly learning 

 how to cope with stock diseases chiefly through the 

 medium of the various farmers' journals, and instead 

 of leaving an animal to rot on the veld and con- 

 taminate the grass, it is deeply buried. The Govern- 

 ment Veterinary Department is now so efficient that 

 epidemics have little chance of sweeping through the 

 entire country as they used to do in " the good old 

 days," when there was no concerted action taken, and 

 little or nothing was known by farmers about stock 

 diseases and their prevention. 



The vulture, owing to the ever-increasing scarcity of 

 carrion, is being forced by hunger to attack lambs and 

 sheep. It is a cowardly bird, and fears an encounter 



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