GKAVEL — TEATBt -SOEE. 355 



some shepe that hath a worme in his foote that maketh hjToi 

 halte." The biflex canal, or "issue" as it is sometimes called, 

 (in the front and upper part of the cleft between the toes,) 

 gets some substance introduced into it which causes an irrita- 

 tion and swelling of the surrounding parts ; and to cure this, 

 believers in the "worme" actually, with a pocket knife, 

 dissect out — or rather mangle out — the skin which surrounds 

 the biflex canal! Such egregious ignorance and brutality, 

 however, are now extremely rare. Two or three incisions in 

 the swollen parts usually relieve them of the inflammation. 

 The biflex canal and the other parts of the foot should be 

 examined, of course, to see that no irritating foreign substances 

 have become imbedded in them. 



Gravel. — Gravel or dirt occasionally penetrates the 

 foot of the sheep between its homy covering and the fleshy 

 structures underneath. It ultimately produces an inflamma- 

 tion and swelling at the coronet, which at length breaks and 

 expels the ofiending substances. As this process produces 

 considerable pain and inconvenience to the animal, it is better, 

 as soon as the lameness is observed, to remove enough of the 

 horny covering of the foot to allow the escape of the gravel. 

 It is well enough, then, to cover the parts with tar; but 

 whether this is done or not, no injury will result from the 

 removal of the necessary portion of the horn ; and it will be 

 very rapidly reproduced. 



Travel -SoEE. — Sheep driven several hundred miles 

 through mud and sand — say from Western Illinois to the 

 banks of the Hudson — not only frequently become graveled, 

 but the heels are sometimes worn so thin, and they and the 

 skin between them become so tender, that the sheep proceed 

 on their journey with pain, and fall ofi" a good deal more than 

 they otherwise would, in condition. The English sheep is 

 much more subject to this than the Merino, both on account of 

 its greater weight, and because the horny coverings of its feet 

 are much thinner. The drover carries a phial of oil of vitriol 

 in his pocket. The hottom of the heels are touched by a feather 

 dipped in this, when the drove stops at night — and a little 

 tar from the inn-keeper's bucket is smeared on the cauterized 

 parts, on the backs of the heels, and between the toes. This 

 gives great relief under any circumstances : and the sheep 

 rapidly recovers if allowed a little rest. Butyr of antimony, 

 acting much more as a purely superficial caustic, would be a 

 better application than oil of vitriol. 



