ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
391 
and domesticated animals, firmly attached to the skin, from which 
they draw blood as their food. Until now they have not been found 
on animals in Great Britain to an extent to be injurious to health, much 
less as causing death. In hot countries, however, and particularly in 
many parts of South America, these parasites attack animals in such 
vast numbers, that even oxen succumb to the irritating and exhaus- 
tive effects of their attacks. Specimens of the skin of lambs, thickly 
covered w r ith these epizoa, were sent from Kent by the veterinary 
surgeon who had been consulted on the case. In his communication 
he writes that “they had attacked the sheep and lambs both on 
uplands and marshes, and that one farmer found a large quantity of 
them on some colts which were at pasture near to the sheep.” 
There are few parasites more tenacious of life than ticks, but expe- 
riments having shown that they can easily be destroyed by carbolic 
acid, it was recommended that a trial should be given to dipping the 
sheep and lambs in a diluted mixture of the acid. This proved most 
effective in the destruction of the ticks, and thereby prevented a 
further loss of lambs. 
The chief event of the year in connection with cattle diseases has 
been the remarkable outbreak of the malady known as the mouth- 
and-foot disease. Few parts of Great Britain have escaped ; and in 
one instance, at least, the disease was ascertained to have been intro- 
duced into Ireland by cattle exported from England. In Ireland, 
however, the malady has been kept far more in check than elsewhere 
by sanitary regulations, as the executive of the Government in that 
country was enabled to enforce the Orders of Council through the 
medium of the constabulary. 
Another contagious disease of cattle has excited a good deal of 
attention, namely, pleuro-pneumonia; and in addition to the legislative 
provisions for its suppression a revival of the system of inoculation by 
way of prevention has been resorted to. Experiments for this pur- 
pose have been begun in several parts of the country, but chiefly in 
Norfolk and Cheshire. Some of the results have been published ; 
but in the present state of the inquiry no correct deductions can be 
arrived at from the data obtained. It may, however, be reasonably 
doubted whether the results will so far differ from those which were 
obtained in 1852-53 as to justify the adoption of the system. 
That no fresh introduction of the cattle plague has occurred 
within the year is a subject of sincere congratulation. The 
disease has been more than usually rife in many parts of Eastern 
Europe, and early in the year made its way from Hungary into 
Lower Austria, showing itself in several places, and among these in 
some villages near Vienna. 
The latest intelligence which has been received is far from 
reassuring. 
The plague had entered Silesia from the south-western districts of 
Poland, and although it was quickly stamped out, the state of things 
was so threatening, that both the Prussian and Austrian frontiers 
had to be strictly guarded by the military. It may be thus hoped 
that Western Europe will be protected from further loss through this 
