REARING THE CHICKS. 127 



in health never happens. The hmgs generally, but 

 not always, sho^v congestion. The heart is flabby and 

 dropsical, and small ulcers will often be found on the 

 tongue and entrance to the throat. The outside coating 

 to the gizzard has several inflamed spots, and inside the 

 gizzard one or more punctured and discoloured spots 

 will be noticed ; this should be borne in mind, as it 

 is as yet an unexplained phenomenon, and may point 

 to parasites. Such are the post-mortem appearances, 

 clearly proving that it is no sudden disease of any one 

 organ, but a rapid and complete break-down of the 

 whole system. 



What is the cause ? 



Here we must at once state that we cannot as yet 

 write with any certainty. At first, lots of men, whose 

 experience, probably, did not go beyond one brood, 

 were ready enough to repeat the old story of teaching 

 their grandmothers to suck eggs, and with the dogmatism 

 that is the sure sign of ignorance would tell us straight 

 off" what was the cause. Some declared the chicks were 

 kept too warm at night ; otliers, that they w^ere too 

 cold ; or that they ate too much, or not enough, or, 

 ad infinitum of any nonsense, all forgetting that it was 

 not likely that those who had been successfully rearing 

 chicks for twelve years would suddenly forget all they 

 had learnt. Others, again, laid it straight off on the 



