UNUSUAL CASE OF CHRONIC RINDERPEST.                     361

ing cattle five days after it had sucked blood from the diseased cattle, but the living
leech itself was not infective to healthy cattle by its bite. Although observations
such as these may be invoked sometimes to explain the recrudescence of outbreaks
in certain areas starting about a month or so after an apparent disappearance, it
will be realised that the establishment of a fresh outbreak at some distance from
the previous ones can scarcely be explained on this basis. Curasson [1922], working
in Poland found that crushed ticks (Ixodes ricinus) when injected immediately after
removal from an animal at the height of fever produced rinderpest but when
injected quarter to one hour after removal they were innocuous. Similar experi-
ments with a fly (Tabanus) gave him only negative results. De Souza [1924] found
that a specimen of Margaropus bovis which had engorged itself upon an animal
infected with rinderpest maintained the virus at full virulence for 7 days. In his
experiments at Muktesar, Sen [1925] was unable to demonstrate the possible rôle
of mosquitos, house flies and lice as vectors of the disease under natural circums-
tances, but he was able to record some positive results when crushed material
(Musca domestica) was used subcutaneously. The experience of Hornby [1926]
shows that Glossina morsitans can transmit the infection, for he obtained a positive
result in one out of two cases. It will be seen from the above that the only report
which points to the possibility of infection being transmitted through vectors under
natural conditions is the report of Hornby. Since this species of flies is not existent
in India, it is apparent from available evidence that there is no real danger in India
from insect vectors.

                                 THE ROLE OF WILD ANIMALS.

The improbability of rinderpest infection being transmitted through the medium
of intermediary agents, such as insects, flies, ticks, etc., has been seen. There
is a danger nevertheless of the disease being spread by direct contact with diseased
wild animals. Evidence is available in the Report on Indian Cattle Plagues [ 1871 ]
of the occurrence of rinderpest in deer, wild buffaloes, sheep, goats, yaks and zebus
in Assam, Bengal and Central Provinces. Information collected by Mr. Cooper of
this Institute from Provincial Veterinary Departments for submission to the
Royal Commission on Agriculture in India shows that the Bison, Sambhar, Spotted
dear and small deer are all affected. Pease [ 1894 ] states:—" I have seen it in the
Kakur or barking deer in the hills, and large numbers perished from it in 1891
beyond Simla. It has been seen in the Gaur or Indian Bison, so called; in the
wild buffalo, Tsain, etc.". A black buck was seen at Muktesar [ Lingard, 1905 ] to
contract rinderpest and succumb to it. Recently Ono and Kondo [ 1923 ] found
that the deer (Cervus sika) is susceptible to rinderpest and that the virus disappears