60 



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is thrown on it. The cysts of the parasites hve a long time after being 

 deposited on the ground. Isolate infected birds, move others to fresh 

 ground, treat infected soil, scald all food utensils and feed on a board. 



The United States Department of Agriculture, in a bulletin by Dr. 

 Morse, prescribes for enteritis a teaspoonful of Epsom salts given in the wet 

 mash for each eight to fifteen chicks, according to size, sulphate of iron in 

 the drinking water at the rate of ten grains to a gallon. 



For scours, cholera and enteritis, which seem to be different phases 

 of enteric troubles, castor oil fed in the wet mash is recommended by 

 Mr. Dunn; a teacupful to a water bucket of mash, given every other day. 

 There is a diversity of opinion as to whether the foam-like substance 

 not infrequently encountered in rearing fields, and known as "cuckoo 

 spittle" is injurious to young birds. There are many well authenticated 

 instances in which birds have died, apparently from eating it, but some 

 breeders think it is seldom the primary cause of death. It occurs on poor 

 soil and birds having access to it are therefore not likely to be in first class 

 condition. Perfectly healthy birds are frequently reared in fields in which 

 it abounds. These facts indicate that the spittle is not harmful to well- 

 nourished birds. In affected birds the spittle forms a jelly-like mass in the 

 crop. Relief is afforded by pressing this mass out with the fingers. It is 

 the purpose of the American Game Protective Association to experiment 

 to determine how far the spittle may be considered injurious. I am indebt- 

 ed to Dr. L. O. Howard, chief of the Bureau of Entomology of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture for the following description of the 

 insect which secretes the spittle: 



"The so-called frog-hoppers, or spittle insects, are of the 

 family Cercopidae. They are small, slender, brown or clay-yellow 

 or grayish insects, and after hatching from the egg live in little 

 masses of froth resembling spittle, on the stems of plants, frequently 

 on grasses and weeds. The eggs are laid in the stems in the autumn 

 and hatch in the spring. The spittle is secreted as a clear liquid, 

 and air bubbles are brought into it by constant threshing about of 

 the anal end of the body, the air being retained as bubbles by the 

 viscid quality of the liquid. It is supposed that the purpose of the 

 frothy mass is to protect the soft-bodied, immature insects from their 

 natural enemies; in other words that it is a disguise, but it renders 

 them very conspicuous, and once their true nature is ascertained 

 they are all the more easily found by their enemies, and as a matter 

 of fact they are sought for by certain wasps which drag them out 

 of their froth and carry them off to provision their nests. So far 

 as I know, there is no evidence that either game or domestic fowls 

 are injured by eating these insects or their secretion." 



