86 THE REARING AND 



out a vast quantity of these hops, evidently the cause of the 

 disorder. The bird now grew better, and had the crop been 

 relieved earlier, I think would have done well, but it was now 

 too much weakened, and died within a week after/' H. H. 



Another patient was treated with better success. 



" The case of the Silver Hamburgh Hen, which was poisoned 

 and recovered again, stands thus. She was a very errant 

 Hen, and the only one that I could not keep in the proper 

 fowl-yard. Now I had for some time been feeding the Fowls 

 on soft food, and one Saturday afternoon I saw the Hen in 

 question reeling about as if she were drunk ; presently she 

 put out her legs quite stiff and fell down with scarcely any 

 symptoms of life remaining. I took her up and felt her crop, 

 when I found she had been eating hard food. It then occurred 

 to me that she must have been poisoned by corn laid by my 

 neighbour to destroy the sparrows; which afterwards proved 

 true. Having a great partiality to that breed of Fowl, and 

 moreover the Hen being a gift from you, I felt great reluctance 

 to lose her; and finding there was no chance of saving her but 

 by rough means, I resolved to open her crop, which I did by 

 making an incision of about three-fourths of an inch, or an 

 inch long, with my penknife, and emptied her crop of as much 

 as it could possibly hold of wheat poisoned with nux vomica. 

 I then poured tepid water into her mouth, and rinced her out 

 well that way, letting it run out of her crop : after which I 

 carefully sewed her crop up, and gave her three antibilious 

 pills, not having any jalap in the house. It may be remarked 

 by the way, that a Hen can apparently take as much jalap or 

 pills, without inconvenience, as a man. Between hope and 

 despair, I put her at night into a warm place, and left her 

 bread and milk for her supper. Next morning, when I went 

 to see her, I found her as lively as possible : she made her 

 escape from me at once, and was immediately joined by her 

 husband. She had laid .an egg during the night, and always 



