History of Animal P /agues. 43 



A.D. 698. ' Cattle destruction in Saxon land.' ^ 



A.D. 699* ^A mortality of cattle raged in Ireland in the 

 Kalends of February, in the plain of Trego, in the reijion of 

 Teffia/ - now Moytra, in the county of Longford. 'The mor- 

 tality of cattle broke out on the first of the Calends of Febru- 

 arVj in Magh Tregha, in Tethbha.'^ 'Destruction of black 

 cattle in Saxonia (Saxon land).-** 



A.D. 700, 701, 704, 707. 'A distemper of black cattle 

 kindled in Ireland on the first of February, in the plain of Trego, 

 in Teffia.' ' A mortality of cattle.' — Bovina mortalitas.^ 



A.D. 708. 'The plague which is called Baccagn (lameness), 

 with dysentery in Ireland.' ° The term Baccacn is sometimes 

 applied to the dry murrain in cattle in this island. (Sir W. 

 Wylde, Census of Ireland.) 



A.D. 744, 747, 748. Snow of unusual depth, so that almost 

 all the cattle of Ireland perished, followed in 744 and 748 by 

 unaccustomed drought."^ 



A.D. 765. In Ireland, ' Great mortality among cows this 

 year.' * 



A.D. 770. 'There reigned many diseases in Ireland this 

 vcar. A great morren of cows ran over the whole kingdom, 

 called the Moylegarou .' ^ This is the first introduction of the 

 term Maelgarth, a skin disease of cattle characterized by rough- 

 ness and loss of hair, and which appeared frequently in after 

 times. It is difficult to make out what malady is meant, whe- 

 ther it be scabies, erysipelas, or even the carbuncular form of 

 anthrax. 



' Annals of Clonmacnoise. - Annals of Ulster. 



^ Chronicon Scotorum. * Annals of Tighernach. 



* Ibid. Annals of Ulster. Chronicon .Scotorum, Edit. 1867. In early Irish 

 history, epizootics are defined as Ar, mortality : such as Bo-ar, cattle mortality, 

 usually rendered by the early English translators of the annals, 'a murrain.' Oc- 

 casionally the term Dibhadlt, loss, or total failure, is ap])licd to cattle pesti- 

 lences ; thus, one of the ancient kings is styled Breasal Bodhibhadh, ' Brassil of 

 the cow-mortality,' because in his reign it is said nearly all the cows of Ireland be- 

 came extinct. Di//i, loss, want, destruction — applies to inanimate things as well 

 as to mortality of men or animals. 



'' Annals of Ulster. 



' Annals of Clonmacnoise. Annals of Ulster. Annals of Tighernach. 



" Annals of Innisfallen. ' Annals of Clonmacnoise. 



