270 ON THE SHEEP OF ZETLAND, 



dual may affect multitudes ; and the disease once 

 induced, is aggravated by exposure to cold, damp, 

 and scarcity of food. 



Turpis oves tentat scabies, ubi frigidus imber 

 Altius ad vivum persedit, et horrida cano 

 Bruma gelu *„ 



Dry pasture, and the common mercurial oint- 

 ment of the shops, are the best remedies for its re- 

 moval. The ointment should be rubbed on the 

 affected parts, and be well incorporated with the 

 skin. 



Inflammation of the stomach and bowels, is 

 a frequent affection among the sheep in Zet- 

 land. It is known there by the name of vinster 

 sickness. From the suddenness of its invasion, 

 the ambiguity of the symptoms, and the rapidity 

 of their progress, it is generally fatal ; and as the 

 mortified part exhibits a black appearance, the 

 people conceive it to be produced by the rupture 

 of a blood-vessel. The slighter degrees of this 

 disease frequently lay the foundation of obstinate 

 dysentery. 



* Georgic. lib. iii. ver. 441. This observation 



of the poet, shews the antiquity of the disease, and 

 aggravation of the symptoms by exposure to cold and 

 moisture , 



