428 vicious dogs' mode of attack, [book it. 



desirous of extending farther their inquiries con- 

 cerning this melancholy and appalling disease. 

 Preceding authors have all confined their infor- 

 mation to the clog itself, with mere casual notices 

 of his attacks upon other animals, and on man. 

 Their researches extended not to the horse, or but 

 trivially so. But, inasmuch as the symptoms of 

 madness discoverable in dogs so affected are good 

 to be known to those who would keep their horses 

 out of danger, we thus feel further inducements 

 to bestow a page or two on the distinguishing 

 character of the true symptoms, and add a hint or 

 two as to prevention, since cure is nearly hopeless 

 at present. 



Causes. — The bite of a rabid animal — universally 

 of the dog, and in every case that we hear of, on 

 the lip of the horse. The bull-dog, the lurcher, 

 the mongrel, the Danish dog, and the shepherd 

 dog, are the kinds most disposed to run at horses, 

 especially when so affected (the first-mentioned, on 

 other occasions, usually fighting at the throat) 

 jumping repeatedly at the horse until they get hold, 

 and the two first pertinaciously holding fast a long 

 time, even until Jailed off, as we hear and believe. 

 This will happen mostly with horses tight-reined, 

 or which we bear up in harness, whilst those having 

 the head loose will rear and paw off the offender, 

 or being at large, evade or trample upon him ; but 

 however slight the bite, the mischief is already com- 

 mitted, so that avoidance by flight is the only pre- 

 ventive of an irremediable evil, unless we are pre- 



