THE DISEASES OF CATTLE 291 



earth gains entrance into the circulation and the animal 

 has blackleg. 



The disease is also scattered by buzzards, ravens and 

 other carnivorous birds that feast upon the dead bodies, 

 carrying pieces to distant places and thus infecting other 

 spots. The disease does not affect the meat, at least not 

 to the extent of conveying the disease, for in New 

 Mexico the natives, both Mexican and Indian, eagerly 

 seize upon the body of an animal dead from blackleg 

 and eat it with no resultant injuries. 



The symptoms of blackleg are a slight lameness 

 growing rapidly worse; disinclination to travel and death 

 without any particular struggle or suffering. 



The disease incubates rapidly and the time between 

 the first visible signs and death is short, generally not 

 more than twelve hours and sometimes not more than 

 five or six. 



There can be no mistaking an animal that has died of 

 this disease. An hour after death the body is swollen 

 to the uttermost stretch of the hide. The legs are 

 distended at full length, standing out from the body 

 like sticks; the mouth is wide open; the eyes bulge 

 out; and the openings of the body forced far out. On 

 pressing the hand upon the body it feels like a drum and 

 if the finger be pushed into the fleshy part of the shoul- 

 der or leg a dry crackling sound will be heard, caused 

 by the gas formed between the skin and flesh. Drive 

 the blade of a knife into the flesh and a frothy pale 

 liquid will ooze out, but the blood does not flow as in 

 ordinary cases of death. 



It is not known whether the disease can be transmit- 

 ted to man, but I know of one case where a cowboy 

 had skinned several calves dead from blackleg. He used 



