HYDATID DISEASE OF ICELAND. 237 



tains. The shepherds, however, who have the care of larger 

 flocks, employ these dogs to drive down those sheep which have 

 clambered upon projecting rocks where the shepherds cannot 

 follow them, and thus prevent them from straying. A sign from 

 the shepherd with his finger towards a projecting rock is suffi- 

 cient to tell the dog what he has to do, and to drive the sheep 

 quietly back to the flock without danger. 



2. Hunting dogs (Dyr houndar). This variety has smooth 

 hair and long legs, and greatly resembles the common Danish 

 dog. In a land where the flocks of sheep are the principal 

 riches of the people, they must also have the means of freeing 

 themselves from the numerous enemies of these flocks. In 

 Iceland these enemies are especially the large species of foxes 

 (white and brown) ; the eagles, which prey upon the lambs ; and 

 the raven, which is fond of picking out the eyes of the sheep, 

 arid attacks the sheep which have just lambed and are prevented, 

 by the pains of labour, from defending themselves as well as the 

 new-born lambs. The hunting dog is employed in chasing the 

 foxes, helping in following the fox, and in digging him out ; 

 he may frighten away the ravens, and probably call the attention 

 of the shepherds to the place where an eagle approaches the 

 flock. 



3. A kind of house-dog (Dssery houndar), which appears to be 

 like the preceding, but has a tail of only two or three inches in 

 length ; he serves for watching the house and goods. 



Thus we see the Icelanders are everywhere accompanied and 

 surrounded by free dogs, and what we have just said will have 

 sufficiently indicated that these animals, continually going about 

 in the vicinity of man, have the opportunity of acquiring the 

 Taenia Echinoc. aliricipariens from the Echino coccus -vesicles 

 evacuated from man. 



From this it appears that the duty of the Icelandic medical 

 man is, 



1. To examine the Icelandic dogs for the occurrence of this 

 Tania, or, if serviceable microscopes are wanting there, to send 

 the intestines of sheep-dogs which have lived in the neigh- 

 bourhood of a family from which such vesicles are or have been 

 given off, to Copenhagen, for examination, and I would also 

 thankfully receive consignments of this kind. 1 



1 No further precaution is necessary except to tie up the intestine cut off at the 



