748 Juunial of Agriculfurc. Victoria. [15 Dec. 1".»19. 



Black.head (Infectious entero hepatitis). 



This disease is quickly fatal among turkeys. According to Theobald 

 Smith, the cause is a minute parasitic jirotozoon known as amoeba melea- 

 gridis. 



In the liver there are circular spots, representing partial necrosis of 

 the livery tissue, and in these spots the same kind of organisms are 

 also present in great numbers. 



Cole and Hadley claim that the causative organism belongs to another 

 group of protozoa, known as coccidia. 



The symptoms occur generally in turkeys from two to ten weeks 

 old. After preliminary dullness, weakness develops, the wings and 

 tail droop, and there is discoloration of the head, giving rise to the 

 name black-head. 



Treatment. — Whilst 15 grains of catechu to the gallon of drinking 

 water is believed to be beneficial, it does not pay to waste much time 

 on ailing birds. 



Coccidiosis. 



This is produced by small protozoan j^arasites in the intestinal tract. 

 Fantham has shown that the coccidia which attack grouse are equally 

 injurious to young fowls and pigeons, whilst some writers have suggested 

 that the coccidium of the rabbit is identical with that of fowls. Fantham 

 gives results clearly disproving this. The symptoms are dullness, 

 diarrhoea, and debility. The liver becomes enlarged, and disfigured with 

 white or yellow spots. Salmon suggests sulphate of iron or catechu, but 

 treatment is rarely profitable. 



Emphysema. 



This rarely occurs amongst chickens. The skin puffs out owing to 

 the presence of air in the tissues beneath the skin. The writer has seen 

 only two affected birds. The treatment appears to be to puncture the 

 skin with a sterilized needle, to allow the air to escape. 



Crop=Bound — Impaction of the Crop. 



This is generally due to some obstruction of the passage from the crop 

 to the stomach. Feathers, fibrous matter, or straw may be responsible. 

 The first treatment is to administer salad oil, and try and knead up the 

 mass that has formed in the crop. Failing this, a cut should be made 

 about an inch long, and the contents of the crop removed. The crop 

 may then be rinsed out with a weak solution of permanganate of potash. 

 In sewing up, the inner skin of the crop should be sewn up separately, 

 before attempting to sew up the outer skin. This is an extremely simple 

 little operation. 



Egg-Bound. 



Where a bird has any difficulty in passing an egg, castor oil should 

 be administered at once. Should this prove ineffective, a few drops 

 of tincture of iodine should be added to boiling water in a jug, and over 

 this the vent should be steamed. If by any chance the egg should become 

 broken in the oviduct, the utmost care should be exercised to remove all 

 of the shell, as otherwise broken pieces of shell may cause considerable 

 damage to the wall of the oviduct. 



