ART. 8.] . SHEEP AND DOGS. 883

for losses sustained by sheep destroyed or injured by dogs or
sluts; but if there remain in the county treasury, to the credit of
the " sheep fund" on the first day of September of each year, a
sum more than sufficient to pay the awards for damages to sheep,
made by the commissioners prior to that date, such surplus shall,
upon the order of the commissioners, be paid by their clerk to
the school commissioners of Cecil county, to be by them devoted
to the purposes of education.

1883, ch. 301.

332. When any inhabitant of Cecil county shall have any
sheep destroyed or injured by dogs or sluts, he may apply to any
justice of the peace of said county, who shall appoint three
disinterested persons as appraisers to view and appraise the
damages by him sustained, and they, or a majority of them shall,
under oath, state in writing to the county commissioners the
number of sheep killed, the character and extent of the injury, if
any, done to the flock or any portion thereof, and the amount of
damages sustained by the owner; and in like manner they shall
give a general description of both the destroyed and injured sheep;
and both the appraisers and the owner of the sheep shall make
oath that they believe the sheep to have been destroyed or
injured by dogs or sluts; and they, or either of them, if the dogs
or sluts by which the damage was done be known to them, or
either of them, shall state under oath the names of the owners of
said dogs or sluts; and when the report of such proceedings shall
have been filed in the office of the county commissioners, the
said commissioners shall review said report, and if in their judg-
ment the amount of damages stated is unfair, they shall award
such amount as they may deem fair; provided, that before the
commissioners shall make any award of damages for the killing
of sheep, the person claiming damages shall be required to prove
to the satisfaction of the county commissioners that he does not
know and is unable, with reasonable diligence, to ascertain the
owner of the dogs or sluts which did said damage; or if the said
owner is known, to prove to the satisfaction of the said commis-
sioners that it is impracticable to collect the amount of damage
sustained by suit against the owner of said dogs or sluts; and in
case any dog or slut shall be known to kill sheep, or chase or