90 History of Animal Plagues. 



The horse carried its head drooping, would eat nothing, tears 

 ran from the eyes, and there was hurried beating of the flanks. 

 The malady was epidemical, and in that year more than one 

 thousand horses died/^ For Germany there is noted the follow- 

 ing; : '\x\ this year a deadly disease broke out among cattle, 

 which dc;5troyed many throughout the world.' ^ 



^At Genelow Castle, in Burgundy, was a great fight or 

 battle of dogs, wherein of 3000 all were killed but one.-' ^ 



What may have been merely the result of epizootic diseases 

 amongst some of the lower animals, old authors, in all probabi- 

 lity, ascribed to battles between them. It must not be forgotten, 

 however, that sometimes affrays of this kind do happen, though 

 very rarely, and that damage is not unfrequent. Amongst dogs, 

 for example, rival factions now and again meet and decide their 

 differences by combat, like Christians, as Burton and Hooker 

 testify.* 



A.D. 1302. ^ A great loss of cows {ho-dhith), and a slaughter 

 [ar) upon all the beasts of Ireland this year.'^ 



A.D. 1308. In Ireland, 'in the Easter, in the month of 

 March in this year, there was a destruction of men and cattle in 

 it, and great inclemency of weather too.' ® ' There was a great 

 murrain of cattle.' ^ 



A.D. 1310. In Germany, destruction of plants and inun- 

 dations. ' This year was a very unfortunate year in consequence 

 of the large quantity of vermin and caterpillars and mice, which 

 ate up everything before them. Then, because of the great in- 

 undations, which began on the 13th of July, were greater ist 

 of August, and greatest on the 2nd of August, much damage 

 was done.' ^ 



'There was so great a famine and scarcity of victuals in 

 the kingdom of Scotland, Anno Domini 13 10, that in many 



^ Lauraitius liusius. Hippatria or Marescalia, vol. i. chap. clvi. p. 135. 

 Heusinger says the epizodty occurred at Rome. It may have been, and probably 

 was, what is now popularly termed ' influenza.' 



2 Chronic. Ensdorf. OLfcle, vol. i. p. 585. ^ T. Short. Op. cit., p. 159. 



* Pilgrimage to El Medinah and Meccah, vol. i. p. 289. Tour in Iceland. 



= Annals of Connaught. s Jbij. 



' Annals of Clonmacnoise. 



^ HeiLHcbci'gsche. Chronik., i. p. 329. 



