214 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



large and the means for closing it %re inadequate, 

 a handkerchief or something similar should be 

 stuffed into the wound to close it, until profes- 

 sional help can be obtained. In all such cases it 

 is well to give a dose of aconite as soon as possible, 

 either the Homoeopathic Vet. Tincture (a dose of 

 any Homoeopathic Vet. Preparation is invariably 

 10 drops, mixed with a little water), or the Allo- 

 pathic, whichever can be obtained. Aconite has 

 a powerful effect in controlling fever. 



Of all ailments to which hunters are liable, 

 that of lameness is necessarily the most common, 

 from the " rough and tumble " nature of their 

 arduous work. It is often a difficult matter to 

 say where the cause of lameness is seated, and a 

 few hints on this subject may be useful. 



The first thing to settle is which leg is the 

 lame one ; and secondly what part of that limb 

 is affected. Then by careful examination the 

 actual place will usually be discovered, though 

 often inflammation and swelling, and consequent 

 tenderness, is so diffused that the precise spot 

 cannot always be fixed upon at first with cer- 

 tainty. 



Q. When a horse is lame on a fore-leg, how 

 can this be determined ? 



A. By standing in front of the horse as it is 

 trotted towards you, and watching which knee is 

 bent as the head droops. This is the lame leg. 



Q. How is lameness in a hind-leg detected ? 



A. By standing behind the horse as it is 

 trotted away from you, and noticing which hip is 

 raised with a jerk, higher than the other. This 

 hind-leg is the lame one. If the hock is raised 

 as high as the other the lameness is below the 



