178 



should be set apart for informal meetings of members, was 

 adopted. 



It was resolved tbat tbe Council be requested to present 

 Mr. Walter Eutt, C.E., with a life membership, in recognition 

 of his services as Hon. Sec. during five years. 



A discussion on Dr. Davies Thomas' paper upon " Hydatids" 

 then followed. 



Oedinaet Meeting, Pebrtjary 6, 1883. 



C. Todd, Esq., C.M.Gr., in the chair. 



Ballot. — Prof. H. Lamb, Thomas Parker, C.E., and John 

 Haslam, C.E., were elected Fellows. 



Exhibits. — The Kev. "W. E. Eletcher, M.A., exhibited some 

 iron concretions found by him amongst the Bald Hills, S.A. 

 Prof. Tate, E.G.S., exhibited specimens of three species of S. A. 

 Coleopters destructive to vegetation. 



The following letter by Mr. Samuel Dixon was read : — 



In view of the discussion taking place on Hydatids, I wish to mention 

 some facts which I have observed. 



Some years ago, before fencing in runs had begun and all sheep were 

 shepherded, it was no uncommon thing for as much as 2 per cent, of the 

 hoggetts, or year-old sheep, to die from " crankiness" or " tumsick." 



The symptoms were dulness, ceasing to feed, or to follow the flock, and 

 then sudden paroxysms of turning rapidly round and round, until the un- 

 fortunate fell, or else, after standing motionless for a long time, a sudden 

 rush straight ahead, as if blmd, woijld by followed by another fall, and in 

 time the poor brute would become too emaciated to feed, and die, unless 

 killed by dogs, of pure starvation. 



On dissecting the head, a cyst would be found occupying almost the whole 

 of the right or left lobe of the brain, and on the opposite side to that to 

 which the sheep turned, or in other cases where the sheep would stand 

 stock still, nearly the whole of the cerebellum would be replaced by a cyst. 



After the sheep reached two years, fewer died, and old sheep were 

 almost free from it. 



Now-a-days a " cranky" sheep is seldom to be seen anywhere, and the 

 reason is not far too seek. At the time I speak of it was customary to have 

 two shepherds and a hutkeeper at each hut, and as each man had his dogs, 

 it was not uncommon to see a dozen at one hut — (this was before the Dog 

 Act). The shepherds, especially the laziest ones, were accustomed to keep 

 the flocks round about the huts, especially in the evening after watering, 

 when sbeep eat the greediest, and I have no doubt this partially accounts 

 for the heavy losses amongst young sheep. The old sheep being more 

 cautious, tbe stink from grass soiled by dogs would prevent them eating it. 



Is it not most important to discover what length of exposure to solar heat 

 will destrov the hydatid germ, seeing that our water supply in Adelaide is 

 derived from a catchment area covered with villages and farmhouses, and 

 in the Northern Areas the household supply of water is frequently from 

 dams filled from the hardened surface immediately surrounding farm- 

 houses where d(;gs have fouled the surface ? 



I have never heard of these cysts being found in cattle. 



