270 DISEASES OF POULTRY. 



chickens, among which were four fern-ales and two 

 males, were affected with consumption of the lungs; 

 but one died of a disorder of the eyes, and another lost 

 an eye. 



Of eleven chickens which he kept constantly in the 

 poultry yard with a southernly aspect, all, except two, 

 a hen and a cock, died before the end of December, of 

 consumption of the lungs, having first passed through 

 all the stages of this disease. 



Those chickens, which, at the end of October, were 

 still lively and gay, lost by little and little their strength 

 and vivacity ; they trailed their wings, ruffled up their 

 feathers, their flanks fell in, they chirped almost inces- 

 santly, their voice changed progressively, becoming first 

 hoarse and at length aphonous ; they scarcely ate, they 

 grew extremely emaciated, with the skin dry, and as if 

 it were glued to the bones ; they endeavored to get in 

 doors for shelter, and when they did get in, they were 

 observed to approach as near as they could to the fire, 

 to sit down even on the cinders and even upon the dogs 

 and cats around the hearth. 



On the death of these creatures, M. Flourens found 

 their lungs in different stages of inflammation and of sup- 

 puration, For the most part, the larynx, all the wind- 

 pipe, and its ramifications through the lungs, were filled 

 with purulent matter of a greyish color like mud, and of 

 a fetid smell. This matter was sprinkled all over, (par- 

 sernee,) with a multitude of very minute black points, 

 and these when thrown into water, fell to the bottom. 

 The lungs at certain points were gorged with blood, and 

 their tissue, softened as if putrefied, was of the color of 

 wine lees. At other points, particularly the external 

 posterior margin, the pulmonary vesicles presented black 

 points like those in the purulent matter, and in many 

 of these black points he found a very minute substance, 

 hard, crepitating, white, and of a bony or horny appear- 

 ance. In fine, upon other points, he observed the ves- 

 icles corroded, and forming small sacs filled with the 

 pus found in the bronchia, the windpipe, and larynx. 



As to the two surviving chickens, they no doubt 

 withstood the cold from being covered with feathers 



