44 DISEASES OP SHEEP. 



tliey are of a circular and spherical form, discharging 

 lymph which hardens into a crust,— then the disease is in- 

 noxious and never of deadly consequences. Such indica- 

 tions as fever, want of appetite, discharge from the nose, 

 etc., do not generally in such cases prevail, and we observe 

 scarcely any indisposition of the animal at all ; the only 

 observable indication then consists in the formation upon 

 several spots of the skin of a dry, dark-brown scurf of the 

 size of a pea. Such cases occur very often among large 

 herds. When there are great numbers of pox, especially 

 upon the lips and the head, then the disease becomes more 

 critical, being in most cases accompanied with fever, dis- 

 charge from the nose and want of appetite. But never- 

 theless there is little danger in such cases, provided that 

 the pox are of a circular and arched form, and that they 

 discharge lymph, which hardens into a crust or scurf. The 

 animal may of course become emaciated, or may lose an 

 eye or a part of the wing of the nose, etc., but death occurs 

 very seldom. The following indications present a larger 

 degree of danger, viz. : when the animal appears to be 

 very sick in the beginning of the disease ; when there is a 

 want of appetite and cheerfulness ; when the lips and eye- 

 lids, or the entire skin of the head, are swollen ; when the 

 eruption of the pox occurs upon all parts of the body ; when 

 the pox are so numerous that they become confluent and 

 of shapeless form ; when they remain in a flattened condi- 

 tion ; w'hen the skin between the pox is highly inflamed 

 and of the same color as the pox ; when in the beginning 

 of the disease a discharge from the nose is observed ; when 

 the respiration is difiicult and accompanied with a rattling 

 noise. In such cases the strength of the animal becomes 

 prematurely'exhausted by the vehemence of the fever and 

 inflammation, the body being then very often unable to 

 stand the regular course of inflammation, so that the pox 



