THE DISEASES OF CAGE BIRDS 



421 



Wounds. 



warm water; the wound should thenl'i' louched 

 with some astringent to favour healing. The 

 sore or wound nuist l)c seen to 

 twice a day, until it is per- 

 tectly healed. A weak solution of sulphate of 

 zinc is a good astringent — say about 5 grains 

 to the ounce of water, care being taken that 

 the bird does not get any of this in its bill — 

 or the wound may be touched with wetted alum, 

 or Friar's balsam, or with tincture of myrrh. 

 But whichever is used, perfect cleanliness must 

 be maintained both as regards the bird and 

 the cage. 



Wounds in other parts of the body are best 

 treated on somewhat similar principles, but 

 for these we recommend for antiseptic purposes 

 a wash of carbolic acid lotion and water. A 

 couple of teaspoonfuls of the strong lotion which 

 chemists make should be thrown into a cupful 

 of cold spring water, and the surface of the 

 wound washed daily therewith. If the wound 

 looks unhealthy, stimulation is necessary, and 

 for this purpose the sulphate of zinc lotion 

 already recommended will do, or the sulpho- 

 carbolate of zinc may be used, in the proportion 

 of 3 grains to the ounce of water. 



Ulceration may be checked by a weak solu- 

 tion of chloride of zinc, or by this lotion : 

 2 ounces of water, 20 drops of the dilute nitric 

 acid, and 10 grains of extract of opium ; this 

 relieves the pain while it cools the surface. 



While birds are suffering from wounds or 

 any suppurating sore, they should be liberally 

 fed and kept warm, but at the same time have 

 plenty of pure fresh air. 



Pest is a term applied, in lieu of a better, to 

 a kind of fever, or plague almost, that sometimes 

 breaks out in bird rooms where a large 

 numljer of Canaries are crowded to- 

 gether. Death often takes place very rapidly 

 in such cases, and the feathered ranks are 

 thinned by the dozen. Its cause we attribute 



Pest. 



to the neglect of sanitation and tlu' common 

 laws of hygiene, the lack of pure air and 

 cleanliness, the use of poor quality cheap food- 

 stuffs, or the importing of unhealthy birds 

 or old contaminated cages into the bird 

 room. 



When such an outbreak takes place, no time 

 should be lost ; the cages sliould be at once 

 thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, and the 

 birds removed into another room where they 

 can get fresh air and a moderate amount of 

 sunshine. Some mild aperient should be given, 

 and a teaspoonful of good brandy placed in 

 the drinking water, with a few drops of paregoric. 

 The food shoidd be light and nutritious, but 

 no hemp or rape should be given. A bowl or 

 two of sawdust soddened with carliolic should 

 be placed in the room and replenished when 

 the strength has gone off. Afterwards every 

 cage should be thoroughly prepared with the 

 same care as a breeding cage, and the bird room 

 itself completely cleaned and disinfected. 



In all our dealings with cage birds we should 

 be as gentle as possible, and in their more severe 

 illnesses regularity in giving the medicines, and 

 sticking unflinchingly to the ])lan of treatment 

 that seems necessary, will generally pull the 

 worst cases through. 



Everyone who has a bird room should 

 possess a small box or cabinet, containing the 

 following drugs : — Castor oil, gum arable, 

 glycerine, fluid magnesia, cod-liver oil, vegetable 

 charcoal, nitrate of potash, gentian root, 

 cascarilla and calumba barks, dandelion juice, 

 Epsom salts, vinum ipecacuanha", elixir of 

 vitriol, Hoffman's anodyne ; and the following 

 tinctures — Tinctura ferri, tinctura camph. co. 

 (paregoric), tinct. catechu, tinct. opii (laudanum), 

 tinct. conii, tinct. gentianse, and tinct. lubelite. 

 A pestle and mortar, a minim measure, and 

 small camel's hair brush will also be found 

 useful. 



THE END 



