408 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



pulsory registration of all clogs, and the merciful destruction, 

 after due care, of all dogs that remain unregistered. The proper 

 muzzling of all dogs that go upon the streets would be an addi- 

 tional safeguard, but still is, in my opinion, unnecessary, if my 

 first recommendation is properly carried out. 



We already have in this State a most perfect law for compel- 

 ling the registration of animals ; and the dog tax could be made 

 available for paying the expenses of catching the unregistered 

 animals, supporting them for a proper time, and mercifully de- 

 stroying those that remain unclaimed. We have also in the State 

 Cattle Commissioners an organized body whose function it is to 

 administer the laws regarding contagious disease among animals. 

 No more distressing contagious disease of animals exists than 

 rabies : why should not the Board act in this matter? 



Yours very truly, 



Charles P. Lyman. 



Though rabies h^is been a well-known, contagious disease 

 from time immemorial, and its occurrence in this State has 

 not been unknown, yet, from the roving, homeless, friend- 

 less character of the animal usually infected with and prop- 

 agating it, until the present year we have never been 

 notified of, and called by municipal officers to guard against, 

 its spread. Five times since our last report was made we 

 have been called to duty in this direction. These facts, and 

 the above communication, caused us to fear that this most 

 dreadful of all contagions is becoming more prevalent in 

 the State ; and by appointment we met the Board of Health 

 of Boston for an examination and discussion of the whole 

 subject, and, if possible, to determine in what line of effort 

 we might hope to be most successful in diminishing its 

 frequency. This conference led the Commissioners to believe 

 that the public welfare required that an effort should be 

 made to restrict the, movement of ownerless, neglected or 

 suspicious dogs. We therefore printed on one sheet, and 

 sent to all our boards of health, all the regulations we had 

 previously issued for their guidance in attempts to control 

 animals infected with contagious disease, with an additional 

 one, that the first four of the series must be made to apply 

 to dogs. These regulations are inserted below. 



