HINDRANCES AND DISEASES. 109 



may account for loss of turkeys that is often reported 

 from other sections. 



I am convinced that tapeworms cause the death of great 

 numbers of little turkeys, and that some suitable worm 

 medicine should be frequently given them throughout the 

 season. Turkeys are troubled with tapeworms from early 

 spring until late in the fall, and sometimes have spasms 

 from this cause. Very young turkeys suffer the most. 

 After they are three months old they are better able to with- 

 stand the injurious effect. The worms apparently irritate 

 the bowels, causing digestive derangement, diarrhoea, 

 weakness and death. At certain seasons, segments of 

 worms may be found early in the morning under the 

 roosts among the droppings of the infected turkeys. Evi- 

 dently the younger they receive the parasites, the more 

 they suffer. Doubtless if the birds survive until the 

 embryos have developed and have mostly passed out, they 

 may gradually recover. A few worms may do little harm, 

 while a great number may be fatal. 



How the young receive the embryos in the spring is an 

 interesting question. Whether snails, worms or insects 

 harbor them and thus scatter the infection, or whether 

 they receive the infection from the droppings of old tur- 

 keys, is yet to be determined. Dr. Stiles, of the United 

 States Bureau of Animal Industry, says that ten different 

 species of tapeworms from chickens are described by inves- 

 tigators, and that according to certain Italian authors two 

 species one of them the most common of all pass their lar- 

 val stage in the house fly. 



Another species, it is said, has for its intermediate 

 hosts various slugs, while another has a snail as its host. 

 Dr. Salmon thinks it will be found that earthworms, 

 insects and snails are the intermediate hosts for these 

 tapeworm embryos, and that there is, at present, no 

 reason for thinking they will be able to develop with- 

 out some intermediate host. 



