" GROUSE DISEASE " COCCIDIOSIS 267 



water has been found of service in the treatment of Coccidiosis 

 in young fowls and young pheasants. 



Sodium Nitrate. Nitrate of soda mixed with faeces destroyed 

 the contents of the oocysts after some time, but the length of 

 time required for its effective application would militate against 

 its use on a large scale. 



In one series of experiments, three portions of infected 

 faeces were mixed with equal quantities of lime, sodium salicy- 

 late, and ferrous sulphate respectively, and were kept in open 

 dishes, exposed to the action of the weather. The results 

 obtained may be shortly given. 



In the case of Lime, the faeces rapidly formed a caked mass. 

 In a fortnight the oocysts were shrunken and wrinkled, and 

 some showed cracks. At the end of three weeks the cysts 

 were more broken up and the contents largely disintegrating, 

 while after a lapse of two months there was a difficulty in finding 

 spores at all. Bacteria were not found after lime treatment, 

 and there was only a slight faecal odour noticed. 



Sodium Salicylate added to faeces rapidly deliquesced, in 

 fact the mixture was quite liquid in less than three hours. 

 After a fortnight's interval the cysts appeared to be slightly 

 shrunken, while faecal odour was noticeable. A month later, 

 the oocysts were more shrunken, and a few free sporocysts were 

 found, while ten weeks after treatment a slight smell was 

 perceptible, and the oocysts present were shrunken and showed 

 oily contents. 



Ferrous Sulphate (copperas) had much the same effect as 

 sodium salicylate, but did not deliquesce. Though its action 

 at first seemed to be rather less effective, it secured the same 

 result ultimately. 



It may be of interest and importance to give a description 

 of various preventive measures which have come under observa- 

 tion in addition to the measures already mentioned. These 

 preventive measures relate especially to fowls and pheasants, 

 but should the hand-rearing of Grouse ever assume large 



