SCURFY LEGS. 



151 



and has been found .affecting turkeys, pheasants, partridges, 

 and even small birds in aviaries. 



The treatment is very simple. The legs may be soaked in 

 warm water, and the crusts removed, and the legs washed 

 with carbolic soft soap, as made for dogs; and the coops, 

 nesting-places, perches, all cleansed with limewash, scented 

 with carbolic acid. Great care should be taken not to use as 

 foster mothers any hens affected with the disease. If a Cochin 

 or other hen in the slightest degree affected with scabies is 

 employed, it is obvious that, as young birds are covered by 



SCURFY LEG PARASITE 

 (Sarcoptes mutans). 

 Magnified 100 diameters. 



Male. 



Female, distended. 



her, the parasites can readily pass from her to the chicks, and 

 the disease becomes disseminated. 



The late Mr. Home, of Hereford, a most practical 

 pheasant rearer, wrote a letter to me on the subject, in which 

 he states : 



" There is no doubt that birds hatched under Asiatic 

 mothers (feather legged) are most prone to these insects. I 

 have tried sulphur ointment, vaseline, glycerine, &c., but none 

 were certain cures. At last I was told that common paraffin 

 would speedily effect a cure. At that time I had a young bird 

 (six months old) a perfect cripple knots in his joints like 

 nuts. I at once applied the paraffin, pouring it well over the 



