616 
Proceedings of the Royal Society. 
They resemble each other in being peculiar to certain districts, and 
in prevailing at certain seasons of the year. Louping-ill is most 
frequently met with in the southern and western counties, and 
chiefly affects sheep feeding on rough hill pastures. It occurs 
during May and early in June, and is most fatal amongst lambs, but 
old sheep, cattle, pigs, and even poultry are liable to it. A few 
sporadic cases are met with in October, especially in the Western 
Highlands, where it is known under the name of trembling. Braxy, 
known also as inflammation and sickness , is more general in its 
occurrence, and affects high and low pastures alike. It is more or 
less prevalent from October till February, and attacks sheep in good 
condition. There is thus a summer and a winter visitation, and 
when these occur in the same district the mortality is often very 
great, sometimes carrying off nearly half of the stock. In the year 
1878 the Teviotdale Farmers’ Club began to investigate the nature 
and causes of louping-ill, and collected a considerable amount of 
information derived from stock owners, shepherds, veterinary 
surgeons, and others interested in the subject. They also employed 
Mr. Brotherston of Kelso to make an examination of pastures 
where the disease prevailed, and published the results obtained in 
the form of a pamphlet. 
These results showed that nothing very precise was known 
regarding the nature of the disease, and that the causes ascribed to 
it were very various. The general causes were said to be cold wet 
weather, and especially the prevalence of east wind, poverty after the 
privations of severe winter, the eating of rough decayed grass just 
before the young grass had become plentiful enough to give a full 
bite, the sudden transition from old to young grass and other causes. 
The result of Mr. Brotherston’s investigation led him to think 
that the disease was caused by ergot and other fungi, which he 
found growing very generally upon the old withered grasses. 
Another special cause assigned was the bites of ticks, which are 
said to be invariably found on sheep affected with louping-ill. 
Experiments were made to test the ergot theory, but they led to 
no positive result. In the spring of 1881 the Highland and 
Agricultural Society was asked to take up the investigation, and 
it at once appointed a Committee, and voted a fund for the purpose. 
The first thing the Committee had to do was to assure themselves 
