132 The Canary Book. 



should be given fresh every day in the bird's drinking-water, say, 

 from fifteen to twenty drops to a wineglassful of water; this 

 diminishes the force of the heart's action, although, if given 

 too frequently, and particularly in overdoses, it is apt to 

 produce unpleasant and dangerous symptoms, and ought there- 

 fore to be given with extreme caution. The bowels, too, should 

 be kept gently open; this can be accomplished by mixing a 

 very small quantity of the carbonate of magnesia in the 

 drinking water (a very small piece upon the point of a knife 

 will be sufficient); or two, three, or four senna leaves in the 

 water will have the desired effect. In chronic cases, a few 

 grains of the hydriodate of potass may be given with 

 advantage ; but I prefer a little tr. opii camph. (paregoric) 

 and a few drops of the oxymel of squills, say, fifteen to twenty 

 drops of each to a wineglassful of water, given instead of the 

 ordinary drinking water: sometimes a little cod-liver oil is 

 beneficial, but I have always found the other treatment to 

 answer best. The last-mentioned remedies are only to be given 

 in confirmed cases of this disease. If diarrhoea sets in, a few 

 drops of elixir of vitriol and a little infusion of gentian must 

 be given in the drinking water twenty drops of the former 

 and two teaspoonfuls of the latter, which you must prepare 

 fresh every three or four days. Get a pennyworth of gentian- 

 root, take a piece the size of a bean and cut small, put it in 

 a mug or jug with about an equal bulk of orange rind, and 

 pour about one-fourth of a pint of boiling water on it; when 

 cool, strain off and use. The addition of a teaspoonful of 

 brandy would preserve it a little longer, and would add to 

 its medicinal virtues. If the purging is severe, a little prepared 

 chalk and loaf sugar added to the egg and biscuit diet would 

 prove useful, but, as I have stated before, unless you can 

 check this disease in its first stage, there is little hope of a 

 perfect cure, so that it becomes a question as to whether it is 

 worth while to prolong the life of a bird under these circum- 

 stances. Bleeding and blistering, which are frequently resorted 

 to with excellent results in the case of men, cannot of course 

 be applied to little, delicate birds. 



