Investigations in 1889 for the Royal Agricultural Society. 185 
quently ending in death. The common bladder-worm (Ccenurus 
cerebralis), which infests the brain, causing the disease known as 
" gid," or sturdy, was also very prevalent in many parts of the 
country. The chief facts of the history of this parasite are perfectly 
well understood. The hydatid is the larval form of a slender tape- 
worm which inhabits the intestines of the dog and the fox. The 
mature segments of the worm, containing an immense number of 
eggs, are voided by the infested animals, and, falling on the pastures, 
are swallowed by the sheep which are grazing on them. The egg- 
shells being broken up allow the embryos to escape, and these minute 
creatures, by the aid of the booklets with which they are armed, find 
their way to the brain, in which organ one or two of them undergo 
rapid growth and produce serious or even fatal disturbance in the 
great nervous centre. 
Husk, or parasitic lung disease of young cattle and sheep, was 
very prevalent during the autumn, and caused the death of a large 
number of animals. The fatality, however, attending the affection 
was not so great as it has been in previous seasons, probably owing 
to the fact that it is now more commonly understood that, in order 
to avoid the serious results which follow the invasion of the parasites, 
it is even more important to support the system of the infested 
animals than to destroy the parasites in the lungs. 
Several outbreaks of abortion among cattle and sheep were 
investigated during the year, but no opportunity was afforded of 
obtaining any morbid specimens, which were absolutely necessary 
for the purpose of endeavouring to isolate the organism on which 
the disease is said to depend. It was known that ergotised grasses 
were common in certain parts of the country, but in none of the 
cases inquired into was ergot found to be present in the pastures. 
The following recoi'd, which is the report of a visit to a herd of 
J ersey cattle, will convey an idea as to the kind of evidence which 
is usually obtained in inquiries concerning the origin of this 
disease : — 
The herd in question consisted of 18 cows of all ages, 10 heifers, and a 
bull. All except the latter have been bred on the estate. 
The soil is still' clay, aud the farm undulating. The land is well 
drained, and the larger portion of it is old pasture. That portion of it com- 
prising the " park " is partly surrounded by a belt of trees, among which 
broom prevails to a considerable extent, and is known to be eaten by the 
stock. If, however, this plant was capable of producing abortion, it could 
not account for such cases as have occurred while the herd were housed. 
Although a careful examination was made of the pastures, nothing was 
fouud to indicate the presence of ergot in any of them. No reliable infer- 
ence can, however, be drawn from this, inasmuch as the pastures were fed 
down closely, and the heads of such long grasses as were found in the 
hedgerows had been cropped off. 
\\ ith respect to the food and system of management, there did not 
appear to be anything calculated to act prejudicially on the health of the 
herd or to disturb the function of gestation, The water was derived, for the 
most part, from a well, and, besides being used for stock purposes, was also 
employed for general consumption by many residents on the estate. When 
