Vaccine Inoculation among Country -People. 49 



Us, that he had feen elks uled in flelghs the laft winter ; and 

 that they were eafily managed, very Itrong, and very fcrvice- 

 able. He reprefented them as travelhng at the rate of 18 or 

 20 miles an hour. It is pofliblc that it was the rein-deer 

 that he faw ufed in this manner in Canada. 



Flejh and Skin.— The flefli is faid to be excellent, and the 

 fkin employed for various ufeful purpofes. 



Oil-Spring. — On the outfide of each hind leg the elk has 

 a fmall vcficle or bag, which contains a thin unftuous fub- 

 Jftance that the hunters call oil, and the bag the oil-fpring. 

 The male is faid to open this, by means of his horn, as the 

 horns begin to grow ; when the oil fpreads over the young 

 horn, and is fuppofed to nourifh and proteft it. This he 

 does regularly, the keeper informed us, at 10 P. M. and at 

 4 A. M. The female has not been obferved to make any 

 ufe of this oil, except when wounded. She then, it is faid, 

 opens the bag with her tooth, and applies the oil, by means 

 of her tongue, to the wound. 



In rutting-time the elk is reprefented as contriving to 

 throw his urine upon this veficle -, which inflames in confe- 

 quence, and emits a ftrong fcent, whereby the animals dif- 

 cover each other in the woods. With regard to the fuper- 

 ftitious notion concerning the elk's curing himfelf of the 

 epilepfy by means of his hind hoof, Sec. (See Pennant's 

 Arftic Zoology, art. Moofe,) may it not be probable that 

 the belief originated from the ufe he makes of the oil-fpring, 

 of which the earlieft European writers might be ignorant ? 



X. Extract from a Letter of Mr. J. Turner to Dr. 

 Pearson, on the Pratlice of the Vaccine Ltoculation 

 among Country-People. 



I 



AM informed by our dairy-people, that the cow-pock is 

 epi-bootic chiefly in the fpring amongcowsabout April or May, 

 and that the fpurious forts prevail in common at almod every 

 other time ; and as the fpring is now advancing, I fliall have 

 kt in my power to aflift you. Believe me, Sir, that the cow- 

 pock mania is as great in the country as in the metropolis. 



Vol. VI. H Perhaps 



