cheap horse dealers in the cities or not is unknown; but the fact remains that there have been practically no complaints this year of owners in country towns having horses destroyed that had been recently purchased in the city, and found to be diseased with glanders or farcy after arrival at the homes of the purchasers. It may be that the work accomplished by the veterinarian of the Boston board of health and the agents of the Cattle Bureau in diminishing the prevalence of the disease has led to fewer animals showing clinical evidence of this malady finding their way into the hands of this class of dealers. RABIES. At the time of making the sixth semiannual report to the State Board of Agriculture, it was stated that rabies had become so infrequent that it might be said that it was practically unknown in this Commonwealth. For more than a year, from September, 1903, to November, 1904, there was not a single authentic case of rabies reported to the Cattle Bureau in Massachusetts. At the time of making the report in January, 1905, two recent cases had been reported, one being a dog owned in Somerville, reported in November, 1904, and the other a dog in Milton, reported in December, 1904. Since that time a number of serious outbreaks have been reported, and the disease has been very troublesome and annoying in several localities for a number of months, causing a great deal of worry and loss to dog owners, some loss of human life, and anxiety and expense to a number of people who went to New York to receive the Pasteur anti-rabic treatment from the New York City board of health, as well as some loss of property to owners of cattle and poultry. At the time of making the seventh semiannual report, last July, a brief account was given of a serious outbreak in Lowell. Since then the disease has prevailed extensively in parts of Worcester and Middlesex counties. In Worcester County numerous cases have occurred since July, in Northbridge, Grafton, Westborough, Northborough, Uxbridge, Upton, Milford, Hopkinton, Clinton and Lancaster, with a few isolated cases in Worcester, Leominster and Holden. In Middlesex County, in addition to outbreaks in Lowell and Dracut, the disease has occurred in Marlborough to a considerable extent, with a few cases in Framingham, Natick, Weston, Waltham, Arlington, Lexington and Medford. In Norfolk County, in addition to the case in Milton, there have been cases in Weymouth and Mansfield. The outbreaks in Marlborough, Hopkinton and Weymouth are recent and the trouble cannot be considered as over in any of these towns. Two or three recent cases in Worcester may make it necessary for the mayor and aldermen to adopt an order requiring all dogs in that city to be properly and securely muzzled for a while. There has also been a second outbreak recently in Dracut and Lowell, but here the situation seems to be well in hand. In Essex county there has been a couple of cases this past autumn at Topsfield, but it is hoped that the disease there is under control, and that there will be no further trouble in that locality. The following table shows to what extent rabies has prevailed among dogs, and the localities in which it has occurred, and also gives somewhat of an idea of the work it has entailed upon the agents of the Cattle Bureau and the local inspectors of animals: Table showing Cases of Rabies in Dogs, to Jan. 1, 1906. Table showing Cases of Rabies in Dogs, etc. - Concluded. 4 Stray dog may have come from Dog from Pennsylvania; bit dog Killed by inspector; suspected. 1 In contact with Boxford dogs. In contact with dog from Lowell. 2 Original dog stray unknown, No. 107, that was original in Grafton; one stray caused second outbreak. Original was No. 107. Stray dog; bit dogs in kennel. Westborough,. Weston, Weymouth, Worcester, It will be seen by the above table that 57 cases of rabies have been reported through various sources as original cases; in addition, 41 dogs have become rabid after being quarantined on suspicion of having been bitten by mad dogs, making 98 actual cases among dogs; besides these, there must undoubtedly have been a number of canines which developed the disease and died or were killed, of which no report was received at the Cattle Bureau office. Fifty-three dogs have been killed with the owners' consent, who preferred to have them destroyed rather than run any risk, or have the trouble of keeping them in quarantine for ninety days. Ninety-five dogs have been kept in quarantine for ninety days and released at the end of that period as free from infection, among which should be included one dog which ran away from home after being in quarantine about sixtyfour days. The latter animal the owner reports did not act peculiarly, and probably ran away in disgust at being kept shut up so long. Thirty-one dogs are still held in quarantine, making 278 dogs in all that have been dealt with. In addition to the dogs, there have been 5 cases among cattle, 2 in Upton, 2 in Grafton and 1 in Marlborough. A cow and calf supposed to have been bitten have been released in Westborough at the expiration of ninety days, and there still remains in quarantine a cow in Marlborough. A pig died of rabies in Grafton, as the result of the bite of a mad dog; and another pig was killed in Dracut because it was bitten, and the owner did not care to take any chances with it. Two horses are in quarantine in Weymouth because of being recently bitten on their noses by a rabid dog, which had taken it into his head to guard a public watering trough, and snapped at every horse that approached it to drink; making a total of nearly 300 cases which have been dealt with, not to mention numerous hens and ducks that have been killed by mad dogs. A number of people have also been bitten,-in Clinton, Marlborough, Holden, Westborough, Upton, Hopkinton, Grafton, Mount Washington, Leominster and Lowell. Some of these have had to go to the expense of visiting New York City to receive the Pasteur anti-rabic treatment, and 2 died after completing the treatment and returning home. These fatalities occurred in Lowell, the victims being a father and his married daughter. They were bitten very badly on their faces and hands by a pet dog April 13, went to New York for the preventive treatment given by the New York City board of health, and returned home. The woman died May 12 and the man July 3. In dealing with rabies, it has been the endeavor to work as much as possible through the local authorities. Inspectors of animals have been directed to quarantine all dogs and other animals that were known to have been bitten or suspected of having been bitten by rabid dogs; and this quarantine has been enforced for ninety days, unless the animals became rabid and were killed, or the owners desired to kill them to avoid the trouble of keeping them in quarantine, in which instances owners have had permission to destroy them in the presence of the inspector of animals or an agent of the Cattle Bureau. Mayors and aldermen in cities and selectmen in towns have been advised to issue muzzling orders in places where the disease has prevailed extensively, requiring that all dogs running at large shall be properly and securely muzzled, under the authority given them in section 158 of chapter 102 of the Revised Laws, and the police authorities have been requested to enforce the dog license law, and destroy all homeless and ownerless canines. The Lowell police are said to have killed from 200 to 300 dogs of this description at the time of the outbreak of rabies in that city last spring. Agents of the Cattle Bureau have been sent to the towns where the outbreaks occurred, to see that the quarantine regulations were enforced and to advise with the local authorities upon the best course to pursue. In many of the towns where the most serious outbreaks have occurred muzzling orders have been issued by the local authorities, to continue in force for periods varying from thirty to sixty days. When rabies appears in a city or town, from twelve to |