History of Animal Plagues, 441 



covered. From the symptoms, and the suecess of particular 

 kinds of remedies, Pallas was confirmed in his opinion that the 

 disease was due to a venomous insect abounding in these humid 

 reo;ions durincf the summer's heat, and which mioht have some 

 affinity to Linnaeus's Fiiria infernalis. The same means for keep- 

 ing away insects also sufficed as a preventive of this plague; these 

 were burning fires in the pastures, which the horses and cattle 

 instinctively drew near as the evenino; set in, the time when 

 they were most incommoded. Fires were lighted in pits near 

 the doors through which these animals had to pass on their way 

 to the grazing grounds; but it was superstitiously believed that 

 these should be lighted by the living fire (Tchtvui-ogon), or that 

 produced by rubbing two pieces of stick together. These fire- 

 holes were seen along the borders of the Oui and Siberia, and 

 were looked upon with great veneration, fires being kindled in 

 them wherever the epizooty or epidemy declared itself. 



In 177 1, one of Pallas' companions travelling beyond the 

 line of the Irtisch, remarks that the horse-epizooty was prevalent 

 at Oustkamenogorsk, and that large numbers had perished. He 

 thought, nevertheless, that much of the mortality was due to 

 the worms engendered in their stomachs, and which were seen 

 in the post-mortem examinations; the best remedy was to make 

 the horses drink, in the month of May, very salt water. 



At Tschoumliazk, a large number of horses were attacked by 

 the epizooty, in which, says Pallas, they had a large and deep 

 ulcer under the skin of the back, which contained a worm, but 

 from the description given he did not believe this could be the 

 cause of the Siberian disease. 



The peasants of Obi used to be well off in possessing large 

 droves of excellent horses and cattle, but during some years the 

 epizooty so common on the Irtisch showed itself in their country, 

 and for five years had caused great destruction.^ 



A tremendous flood occurred in Virginia, which entirely 

 swept away Elk Island, on which were seven hundred head of 

 animals — horses, oxen, sheep, and hogs, and nearly one hundred 

 houses.^ About this time, according to Sinclair, ' began the dis- 



' Voyages dans Plusieurs Provinces del'Empire de Russie, vols. iii. iv. 

 '•* Scots' Magazine, vol. xxxiii. 



