CARE OF COMBS AND EAR-LOBES. 



2 '3 



opinion of the old Bristol fanciers who first used 

 comb cages, and tested them in all degrees most 

 thoroughly, that their constant use to assist 

 really flabby combs, as is so widely the case to- 

 day, rather than breed good ones, brings sure 

 retribution in a weak-combed strain of birds. 



On the other hand, the comb of an otherwise 

 promising pullet may seem backward, and need 

 encouraging, especially if she has been brought 

 up hardy, in a cool house. Here a 

 Combs of few weeks in a sheltered and 



Pullets. slightly warm pen, with rather 



more animal food, will bring her up 

 to the mark if the parents have been so ; but 

 birds so treated should always be gradually 

 habituated to a cool temperature again, before 

 winter comes on. Some have advocated work- 

 ing and extending a pullet's comb between the 

 fingers, as is practised upon the ears of lop-eared 

 rabbits ; and we have seen a comb enlarged 

 considerably in this way. Never*-heless, such 

 dodges are not worth while. No lop fancier 

 would dream of treating thus any rabbit with 

 really small ears ; and as it is, the result in his 

 case is hard callosity and loss of circulation in 

 the part so treated. So in pullets, really decent 

 combs are plentiful, and need nothing of the sort ; 

 and combs thus abused, owing to the effect upon 

 the blood circulation, are terribly subject to 

 frost-bite. As comb is not a really difficult 

 point in pullets, and decently bred birds need 

 nothing at all beyond possibly a little temporary 

 extra warmth and feeding, it is a great pity to 

 spread the impression that such dodges are 

 largely practised by extra " knowing" ones; in 

 reality they are almost confined to novices who 

 have learnt them from others about equally 

 well-informed. 



Ear lobes which appear somewhat deficient 



in growth are more susceptible of extension 



without injury, the part being softer and more 



elastic, with less of natural vitality. 



Ear Lobes. Much depends, however, upon the 



manner of it, as was discovered by 



those old Bristol Spanish breeders already 



mentioned, who brought white ear lobes to a 



perfection that has never been equalled since 



their day, much less surpassed. They had tried, 



and abandoned, working about the lobes between 



thumb and finger, as advised by some. This 



will enlarge a lobe ; but they discarded it 



because — so they said — it tended to enlarge the 



surface more than the structure, and so increased 



folds on that surface, which they desired smooth 



and even. Their plan was rather, not only when 



cleansing a lobe, but at roost and as opportunity 



offered, to very gently stretcli a lobe by pulling 



at the edges. It was essential to be gentle, never 



stretching tightly, which also caused wrinkles or 

 folds ; but the lobe was so held at very gentle 

 tension for a little while, giving the principal 

 stretch in the direction where more size wa.s 

 specially wanted. Such was the method, they 

 found, by which most could be done, being useful 

 in promoting even surface as well as greater 

 size. It is best to let well alone, if nothing is 

 needed in this way ; but if a little more is really 

 wanted, or a fold threatens, matters can often be 

 improved by a little care and manipulation in 

 good time. 



There is also colour of the lobes to be looked 

 after, and if red threatens upon such as should 

 be white, it is time to give the birds shelter, 

 especially from the wind, or in particular cases a 

 rather darkened run and slightly warm temper- 

 ature. A strong wind will often roughen and 

 redden a fine smooth lobe in three days ; but 

 it can generally be recovered by these means. 

 Where smooth whiteness is a great point, lobes 

 which have matured satisfactorily should be 

 carefully cleaned every day, using the first time mild 

 soapand tepid water, with a very soft bit of Turkey 

 sponge ; afterwards tepid milk and water. The 

 lobes should be gently but thoroughly dried 

 afterwards with a soft woolly towel, and when 

 quite dry dusted with violet powder, or if there 

 are any signs of soreness, with oxide of zinc. 



A red lobe, on the other hand, may develop 

 evident tendency to an undesirable white or pale 

 centre. Here exposure to air and wind is the 

 natural remedy, which may often be assisted by 

 the citrate of iron and potash tonic above men- 

 tioned, and by brisk friction of the weak spot as 

 often as convenient with a piece of rough towel. 

 The rubbing is not to be hard, but of a quick 

 character, calculated to cause a hot glow under 

 it, and so cause more flow of blood to the part 

 Some allege benefit from application of stimu- 

 lants, such as capsicum vaseline, and it is not 

 improbable, these applications also bringing the 

 blood to the capillaries at the surface, which is 

 the effect desired. 



A promising cockerel may sometimes develop 

 all of a sudden a tendency to wry tail, or 

 squirrel tail. Where this has appeared gradually 

 from an early age, the cause is 

 Wry Tail. curvature of the spine, and such birds 

 should be executed. But in other 

 instances it seems a habit, or due to some sudden 

 strain, as from a bird backing up against a wall, 

 or from some slight inequality of a muscle or 

 tendon, due originally perhaps to such a cause. 

 Such cases are not hereditary as the first class 

 are, and as they are often removable by a simple 

 operation, many think it as permissible to do 

 this as to operate for a squint in the human 



