"GROUSE DISEASE"— COCCIDIOSIS 267 



especially since the preceding articles were written, and in addition to the 

 measures therein mentioned. These preventive measures relate especially to 

 fowls and pheasants, but should the hand-rearing of Grouse ever assume large 

 proportions, then such measures may be applied directly thereto. 



Recalliuo; the old saw that " Prevention is better than cure," I would first 

 reiterate my former remarks : — 



( 1 ) All corpses of Grouse or Grouse chicks infected with Coccidiosis „ 



^ ' '- Burn in- 



should be burned, not buried (see pp. 251, 257). fected 



^ ■■• ■■■ _ _ corpses. 



(2) Heather burning, as far as practicable, is efficacious in destroy- 

 ing coccidian cysts, worms' eggs, etc., in the tract burned (see p. 266). Heather- 

 Regarding the first of these remarks I would point out that every ^"'""^s- 



buried diseased bird is a new source of infection, and the polluted soil is 

 distributed in many and unseen ways by earthworms, the round worms of the 

 soil, carnivorous beetles, moles, etc., so that the infection can be extended over 

 a much wider area than was originally the case. 



In regard to pheasantries in which havoc has been wrought by Coccidiosis, 

 it is as well to consider the direction of the prevailing winds, and consider 

 to place the new rearing pens in such a position that they are not prevailing 

 wind-swept from the infected and fouled areas. This is not an easy ^'" ^" 

 matter in many instances, but should be observed wherever possible. 



In the case of birds kept entirely or partially under domesticated conditions 

 {e.g., fowls, hand-reared pheasants. Grouse in captivity), great care 

 should be taken to burn all droppings and to prevent fouling of food infected 

 and drink as far as possible. This can be achieved to a considerable 

 extent by providing removable boards on which food and drink can be placed, 

 as has been sugafested by Dr Hammond Smith. These feedina; boards 



^=' -^ .'^ Removable 



should be frequently cleansed and scrubbed. All food debris should feeding 



be burned. The pens should be so constructed that easy cleansing 



can be done daily. Lime-washing of all coops, breeding-places, perches, etc., 



at least once a week is useful. Wherever possible healthy birds should 



. . Lime- 



be taken ofl' the infected areas, and their coops, etc., placed in new washing 



pens. 



positions, as remote as possible from the former ones. The fouled 

 soil should then be thickly treated with quicklime, which, after an interval 

 of about a week, should be well dug into the soil, the latter being Limgany 

 turned -to a depth of at least 1^ feet. No birds should be raised on foiled sod. 

 this land for at least a year. Where the infected run is relatively small, the 



