^i6 History of Animal Plagues. 



and even the heaths and commons^ which most abounded in 

 rich grass; and^ as soon as they were driven up to the heights, 

 snuifed at the earth and searched among the grass, but without 

 tastino- it : then immediately turning round, ran to the morasses 

 and wet places. The cause of this I attribute to the circumstance 

 of the ashes and sulphureous dust having had a more permanent 

 influence upon the elevated pasturage, than upon the herbage in 

 moist and low situations, v/here a proportion of the ashes and 

 sand must have sunk into the water, and where, besides, the 

 grass, when rain fell, must have been much purified and re- 

 freshed. It may possibly be objected to this, that the rain 

 would naturally also produce the same beneficial effects in the 

 higher grounds ; but it is, on the other hand, to be remarked that 

 the grass and herbage on heaths and 'commons, where sheep 

 principally delight to go, is small and short. Consequently, as 

 often as a heavy rain fell upon the ashes and sulphureous dust 

 here collected, these were converted into a kind of paste which 

 could not penetrate the soil ; so that all vegetation was covered 

 with it : whereas, in the morasses, this paste was gradually dis- 

 solved in the watery soil, and, as the grass in such situations 

 generally rises to a considerable height, the mixture of ashes only 

 affected the lower part of it. This I therefore consider to be the 

 cause why the sheep, during the summer of 1783, uniformly 

 sought the moist places ; and it may further be added, that they 

 there in some degree found a shelter from the penetrating cold 

 and frequent tempests, which are much more prevalent in the 

 hilly country than down in the valleys. 



^ In addition to the inflammatory disease just mentioned as so 

 fatal to the sheep, so early as the commencement of autumn, 

 1783, when they were collected from the hills, several of them 

 were found to be attacked with a distemper hitherto unknown 

 to the natives. The poor animals could neither walk nor stand: 

 their teeth were loose, so as to prevent them from chewing their 

 food; their cheeks were full of swellings; and their joints were 

 contracted. Towards Christmas the sickness began to show 

 itself in a still greater degree, even among the stall-fed sheep, 

 and also among the horned cattle, which rendered it necessary 

 for them to be slaughtered. Many, however, fell victims to the 



