532- History of Animal Plagues. 



Fabricius calling it a ^Rhagio^ {Rhngio Columhaschense); while 

 Latrielle, a more modern and perhaps better authority, sets it 

 down as a 'Similium;^ but to whatever genus it belongs, says 

 Kirbvj it is certainly a most destructive little creature. In 

 Servia and the Bannat of Temeswar, it attacks the cattle in 

 infinite numbers, and penetrates, according to Fabricius, their 

 generative organs; but according to another account, their 

 noses and ears, and by its poisonous bites destroys them even in 

 the short space of four or five hours. ^ 



On the authority of Chabert, we are informed that the Spanish 

 sheep foot-rot (the pedero of the Spaniards), a contagious ma- 

 lady, was imported into the Pyrenees, and was particularly pre- 

 valent on the banks of the Gironde and Lower Medoc.^ 



A.D. 1792. The year was damp and rainy. In May and 

 June locusts devoured the grain in New York, and the wheat 

 insect caused great destruction to the crops in Long Island and 

 in Maryland. The lime-trees at Philadelphia were destroyed 

 by a kind of caterpillar.^ Rot in sheep caused great destruction 

 in England.* 



Pneumonia was epizootic among cattle in Franconia,^ and 

 what was called malignant fever (but which may have been the 

 Cattle Plague) raged in the Tyrol and in the province of Pole- 

 sine.^ Abortion v/as epizootic among cows in Italy. Toggia says : 

 ' It was most difficult to successfully prevent pregnant cows from 

 aborting in damp or wet localities, where the heavy fogs at the 

 end of the autumn had been very chilly, and had lasted for many 

 consecutive days; for to all these influences the animals had 

 been exposed. On account of this, abortions were very frequent 

 in mares and cows around Mantua and Lumellina, and more 

 especially was this accident inevitable if the cow came from a 

 dry climate, and passed all at once into a damp or rainy atmo- 

 sphere, particularly if it were also cold. This was what hap- 

 pened to the cows from the mountainous regions of Lanzo, 

 and also to those from Cuorgne, which chiefly in the month of 

 October descend to the plains and meadows to pasture; and it 



^ Entomology, vol. i. p. 150. - Chabert. Op. cit. 



•^ Basco7iic. Op. cit., p. 142. 



* E. Harrison. An Inquiry into the Rot in Sheep and other Animals. 1804. 



^ Journal von und lur Franken., vol. vi. p. 710. ^ Bottaiii. Op. cit., p. 144. 



