166 



ready for solution there was no practical difficulty in keeping the bath 

 up to strength. The procedure is as follows : all shoes are removed 

 from the horses to be treated and each is chpped and thoroughly rubbed 

 over with soft soap, they are then taken in batches of 150 at a time to 

 the dipping tank. The manner of handling them is described and it is 

 said that there is rarely any trouble, especially after the second dipping. 

 Nine times out of ten the horse immerses itself completely, and if not, 

 a man is at hand with a pail to complete the dipping, during which the 

 horses have to swim 20-25 feet. As the horses emerge they are taken 

 to a room where a dozen men with hand-brushes scrub them thoroughly 

 from head to foot ; they are then covered, if the weather be cold, and 

 taken at once to stable ; in winter a short stay in an artificially heated 

 drying room would be very desirable, if such a room could be pro\dded. 

 A staff of 16 men can handle 150 animals in a little over two hours. 

 The operation must be repeated every four or five days, and an average 

 of eight dippings is required to cure a mangy horse ; during treatment 

 each horse is thoroughly brushed and rubbed all over once daily. The 

 results are claimed to have been very satisfactory ; itching ceased 

 after the first or second dipping ; the sores healed rapidly and the skin 

 quickly became clean and healthy ; every part of the body shared in 

 these benefits, and in a fortnight the hair began to grow again on the 

 bald places and the coat generally became glossy and abundant. The 

 recovery of bodily condition was also very marked, possibly owing to 

 the arsenic absorbed acting as a tonic. Although the bath has only been 

 in operation a few months, the advantages of immersion over any treat- 

 ment by ointments have become obvious ; losses by death or rejection 

 have been reduced by 50 per cent, in the area in Avhich the dip is used, 

 and the cost of the eight dips required to cure a horse amounts to a 

 httle over one shilling. It is suggested that where a dipping tank camiot 

 be estabhshed, all mangy horses should be sprayed very thoroughly, 

 and it is pointed out that a tank to catch the liquid, a few square feet 

 of cement floor for the horse to stand on, and a good spray pump is all 

 that is required beyond the necessary chemicals, and that prompt 

 treatment on the spot by this method would keep a large number of 

 horses in working condition, which would otherwise be useless for a long 

 time or rejected altogether from the service. 



Waterston (J.). Fleas as a Menace to Man and Domestic Animals, 

 their Life-History, Habits and ControL— Brit. Miis. {Nat. Hist.), 

 Economic Ser. no. 3, London, 1916, 21 pp., 6 figs. [Received 

 24th August 1916.] 



This pamphlet gives an account of the structure, Ufe-history and 

 habits of fleas and describes methods for their control. The species 

 mentioned as occurring in Britain are Pulex irritans, Ctenocephalus 

 canis, C.felis, Ceratophyllus fasciatus, C. gallinae, Spilopsyllus cuniculi 

 and Leptopsylla musculi. 



The Poultry Lice Crop Good. — Weekly Press. Bull., Penns. Dept. Agric.y 

 Harrishurg, i, no. 31, 10th August 1916. 



The commonest species of lice on chickens and pigeons in Pennsyl- 

 vania are Menopon biseriatum and M. pallidum. Dusting with pyre- 

 thrum or Persian powder is recommended as a control measure. Mites, 



