58 POPULAR ERROR RESPECTING THE POISONING OF SHEEP. 
stone on the left hock. A portion of the wound had a very un- 
healthy aspect ; and, indeed, gangrene had commenced there. I 
said little to the proprietor, hut I watched him, and endeavoured to 
discover whether some one had not preceded me. He at length 
acknowledged to me that he had called in the gelder, and another 
person whom he was unwilling to name ; that these individuals 
had assured him that his flock was gobed, and that he was very 
likely to lose them all. That which confirmed him in this belief 
was a gobe that had been shewn to him, and that had been found 
in opening a bull of his that had died. At length I heard that 
it was the knacker who had had the care of this animal, and 
who was persuading him that he would probably lose all his 
sheep. 
We proceeded to open the dead animals. They were all of this 
year, and some of them had not been shorn. They appeared to 
have been strong and of a good constitution. In all of them there 
was evident peritonitis, with effusion of a yellow liquid, some- 
times, indeed, tinged with blood. The wounds inflicted in the 
act of castration were in a gangrenous state in all of them except 
one. We found from one to five gobes in the stomach of each of 
them. They varied from the size of a pea to that of a large filberd. 
Some were round and very small, others were ovoid or flattened. 
They enclosed a small portion of wool or hay, or bits of straw. 
Some contained small stones of the size of an oat grain. All of 
them were situated in the abomasum. I took possession of them 
all. 
Not one of these animals had any disease of the chest. 
Being thoroughly persuaded that the main or only cause of their 
death was castration — the atmosphere being at that time cold and 
humid — I, however, remarked one circumstance which induced me 
to commit this memoir to writing. After they were castrated, these 
sheep were separated from the flock, and placed in a stable. 
Their litter consisted of green brake ( pteris aquilina), and it was 
with this plant that the beds were renewed. Was there any thing 
venemous or injurious in this plant? — Ido not know. I have 
since known of some lambs being cut by the same gelder, belong- 
ing to the farm-fold of another farmer. Straw was given to them 
for a bed, and none of them died. This is an experiment which 
should be made ; it would be interesting both to the veterinary 
practitioner and to the agriculturist. 
My task ought not to finish here. It was necessary to prove to 
the farmer that these gobes were not the cause of the death of 
the sheep. I engaged him to come to my house on the morrow in 
order to prove to him that there was no poison in these gobes. I 
delivered them to his charge, and desired him to bring them with 
