322 THE ZOOLO^ISt. 



Greek papers. It was most likely designed to throw difficulties 

 in the way of the Government before the impending election. 

 The only item of truth in the whole affair was greatly worked up 

 by the Opposition journals, and what gave apparent. countenance 

 to the reports was that shortly before our arrival a number of 

 prisoners had escaped from the prison at Larissa. In order to 

 sustain their lives these people had committed some depredations 

 in the neighbourhood of Larissa, and had consequently caused a 

 certain amount of uneasiness among the inhabitants. At last 

 they were forced to take to flight together. Spine surrendered, 

 others were soon recaptured by the soldiers sent in pursuit of 

 them ; others again fled across the Macedonian frontier to the 

 mountains. During our excursions to the different districts 

 infested by the voles, I never felt any insecurity ; we had always 

 an under officer in the carriage with us, and we were always 

 accompanied by two mounted and armed retainers of the owner 

 of the estate we were visiting. But these people attended not so 

 much to protect us, as to be ready to carry news quickly to places 

 at a distance. 



My plan for the practical employment of the bacillus was to 

 dip bits of dry bread (white bread, if possible), about as large as 

 a finger-joint, into the fluid charged with bacilli, and to put a 

 bit of this bread into each mouse-hole. If the animals ate the 

 bread they would certainly die, as in the case of the laboratory 

 experiments. The disease would be communicated to those 

 which had not eaten the infected bread partly by the bacilli in 

 the excreta of those affected but still living, and partly by their 

 devouring the bodies of those which died of " mouse-typhus." 

 The mode of carrying out these measures was very simple. 

 Making Larissa our head-quarters, we made daily excursions to 

 places in the neighbourhood, taking with us the large tin vessels 

 containing the fluid, and about 100 phials of pure culture on 

 " Agar-Agar." As soon as we had about reached the middle of 

 the district we proposed to deal with, a quantity of the fluid was 

 poured into a pot, which the owner willingly gave us, and the 

 contents of some " Agar-tubes " were added to it, that the fluid 

 might be as strongly charged with bacilli as possible. The 

 soldiers then summoned the peasants from the neighbouring 

 villages, telling them to bring slices of bread with them, to this 

 central spot, each bringing a sufficient quantity of bread with him 



