Wasting;' " Hunger Rot;' " Blood Eot;' i'c. 213 
in ewes which fall victims to anaemia. The nervous centres, 
particularly the brain, are generally softer than is natural, and in 
a condition not inaptly characterised as " moist," there being 
a greater amount of fluid in connection with them than is 
found in the same animals when in the enjoyment of perfect 
health. These organs do not appear to be extra-vascular, nor 
does the extra fluid seem the result of inflammatory action, 
as has been supposed. The intestinal canal is frequently 
attenuated in its walls, and when diarrhoea has occurred 
previous to death, patchy inflammation may be exhibited, with 
blood extravasations from the minute vessels of the sub-mucous 
structures. In the circulatory system, however, we meet with 
the most characteristic symptoms of the condition. In nearly 
every case any ordinary observer would be struck with the 
general pallor and want of blood in every part of the body. 
The large veins, which are ordinarily full, when cut, scarcely 
yield as much blood as will suffice to wash the hands, while the 
physical characters of colour and consistence of the blood have 
been obviously changed. Its specific gravity has been lessened, 
and its power of forming coagula diminished or absent alto- 
gether. In the latter condition, instead of forming a consistent 
clot, it is disposed to settle into layers of red corpuscles, white 
corpuscles, and plasma. In other instances the colouring 
material has been so altered as respects its connection with 
the coloured globules, that, having left these, it has become 
distributed through the plasma, giving a transparency to the 
entire mass, and possessing the property of staining tissues. 
Symptoms. — In all extensive manifestations of anaemia occur- 
ring amongst sheep, the earliest symptoms are apt to be over- 
looked or disregarded, more particularly if previous experience 
has not sharpened observation and induced the observer to 
regard with suspicion the conditions under which the animals 
are placed. The suspicion at first entertained that the sheep 
are not thriving or laying on flesh as rapidly as they ought to 
do, is speedily changed to the conviction that there is some- 
thing seriously wrong with them. At first there is nothing to 
cause anxiety, and the death-rate is only an average one ; in 
a few weeks, however, with unaltered conditions, the mortality 
will increase, or it may become alarming. 
^ On carefully examining a stock in which anaemia is in- 
sidiously but steadily affecting their health, a considerable 
number of animals will be observed to be unnaturally dry- 
looking in their wool and tucked up in their bellies ; the amount 
•of food consumed will be found to be less than ought to have 
been eaten ; and, when handled, the wool will be found hard, and 
wanting in the usual mellow feeling it ought to possess. The 
