ee THE SPEAKING PARROTS. 



parrots injure the skull or spine on some sharp edge by flying 

 up in sudden fright. Symptoms -. Staggering, falling down, 

 convulsions, and violent convulsive writhings. Cure is mostly 

 impossible. Alleviate by holding the bird in the hand, or 

 laying it in a basket and covering it with a cloth. Staggers arise 

 either from turning round constantly (as a vpry active parrot 

 in a very small round cage may do), from injury, striking on 

 a sharp corner, or from living parasites in the brain. Symp- 

 toms : Holding the head on one side, bending backwards, 

 twisting round, staggering, tumbling backwards^ and con- 

 vulsions. Treatment : In the first case use a larger, square 

 cage ; in other cases cure is scarcely possible. 



Diseases of the Eyes. — The eyes are more or less sympa- 

 thetically affected by the diseases of other organs ; for example, 

 in the diphtheritic-croupish inflammation of the mucous mem- 

 brane (see p. 55), in which nearly always the cuticle of one 

 or both eyes, the aponeurosis, and even the cornea, is affected, 

 so that the lids appear swollen and stuck together, and the 

 cornea becomes thick. Concerning the treatment, I beg to 

 refer the reader to p. 55. 



Swelling and Inflammation of the Cuticle of the eye 

 may also be caused by cold. Symptoms : Tears in the eyes, 

 swelling of the lids, avoidance of the light. Remedy : Washing 

 with lukewarm liquor chlori (16), or Goulard water (11), or 

 solution of sulphate of zinc (87). 



Besides these, Inflammation of the Cuticle or Cornea of 

 the eye may be caused by a blow or bite. Remedy -. Cool 

 with water; smear with a solution of sulphate of zinc (87), or 

 with a solution of potash and laudanum (71). 



INTERNA.L INFLAMMATION of the eye, which Ziirn has noticed 

 in fowls, may also arise in parrots, and cause blindness 

 (cataract). Treatment : Touching the apple of the eye with 

 sulphate of atropia (8). I have several times observed a disease 

 of the eyes in the Noble Parrakeets, which begins with a 

 swelling of the lid, upon which, and even upon the apple of 

 the eye, little ulcers form, so that the eye is destroyed. These 

 parrakeets had the suppuration, which spread over one side 

 of the head, and entirely discoloured it, for years, though 



