DISEASES OF THE OX AND SHEEP. 615 



music, the grand harmonies of the great composers, deaf to the 

 fascinating eloquence of the spirit-stirring orator, heedless of the 

 ringing rhythms of the songs of poets, cut oflf from the brilliant 

 melodies of musicians and of songsters. 



The loss of our hearing powers would be a calamity indeed, 

 and it is no less true that our eyes serve an equally useful pur- 

 pose, and minister to delights equally impressive and equally 

 necessary to the precision of our conceptions of Nature as a 

 whole. Except by the aid of healthy eyes, our brains would 

 necessarily form but very sorry pictures of the objects which 

 abound on all sides around us. To human beings, then, the 

 preservation of eyes and ears is one of the most necessary 

 duties. 



In regard to lower animals we cannot speak so strongly, 

 nor can it be held to be a matter of first-rate importance that we 

 should always take care to keep the eyes and ears of our domesti- 

 cated animals in a perfectly healthy state. In the case of oxen 

 we may not even elicit the fact that such a one or such a one 

 is, as a juryman said he was at the close of a trial, as deaf as a 

 post. Often there is no opportunity to find out ; and even if 

 the owner of an ox did know that his animal was hard of 

 hearing, he is in most cases not at all likely to have curative 

 measures employed. On the disorders of the ears of oxen it 

 will, therefore, not be worth while to dilate. 



Again, if an ox be very blind, and there is but little chance of 

 cure without a great deal of trouble, it will often be found 

 desirable to prepare the animal for the butcher straightway. 

 In the case of disorders of the eye in horses, however, the wisest 

 and best course will always be found in obtaining skilful treat- 

 ment since the value of the optic organ to a horse is very great 

 indeed. 



We have very little indeed to say regarding the disorders to 

 which the ears of sheep are liable to be subjected. In fact, they 

 are not of great importance. Occasionally it may happen that 

 a ferocious dog may work a greal deal of damage with the ears 

 of sheep. Inflammation of the lining membrane of the ear may 

 also now and again occur, and this disorder, when present, may 

 be recognised by the animal carrying its head nearer the ground 

 than usual, and also generally a little to one side, and by a 

 slight occasional shake of the head. In such cases the ears 



