MEDICAL TREATMENT OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 509 



" three months ; — he will prefer also, to take ofF the lower testi- 

 "• cle first, as then the Wood will not prevent him from proceeding 

 " with the other ; whereas, when the upper one is taken off the 

 " first, if there should be any bleeding, he has to wait before he 

 " can take off the lower testicle. 



" The large vein that supplies the entrails with blood passes in 

 " the neighborhood of the testicles ; there is danger that a young 

 " beginner may pierce it with the pointed instrument in taking off 

 " the skin of the lower testicle, in which case the chicken would 

 " die instantly, for all the blood in its body would issue out. 

 " There are one or two smaller veins which must be avoided, 

 " which is very easy, as they are not difficult to see. If properly 

 " managed, no blood ever appears until the testicle is taken off ; so 

 " that should any appear before that, the operator will know that 

 " he has done something wrong. 



*' If a chicken die, it is during the operation, by bleeding, (of 

 " course it is as proper for use as if it bled to death by having its 

 " throat cut ;) they very seldom die after, unless they have re- 

 " ceived some internal injury, or the flesh of the thigh has been 

 " cut through, from not being drawn back from off the last tv.o 

 " ribs, where the incision is made j all of which are apt to be the 

 " case with young practitioners. 



" If the testicles be found to be large, the bamboo tube should 

 '' be used, and it should have a strong cocoanut string in it, — for 

 " small ones the silver tube with a horse hair in it, is best. 



" When a chicken has been cut, it is necessary before letting 

 " it run, to put a permanent mark upon it ; otherwise it would 

 " be impossible to distinguish it from others not cut. I have been 

 "accustomed to cut off the outside or the inside toe of the left 

 " foot, — by this means I can distinguish them at a distance. 

 " Another mode is to cut off the comb, then shave off the spurs 

 " close to the leg, and stick them upon the bleeding head, where 

 " they will grow and become ornamental in the shape of a pair of 

 " horns. This last mode is perhaps the best, but it is not so 

 " simple and ready as the first. Whichever mode is adopted, the 

 " fowl should be marked before performing the operation, because 



