63 



feeling of it, the natiii-e of its eonteuts can frequently 

 be determined. 



If it is not possible to remove the contents by pres- 

 sure, as in the case above, and if it does not pass away 

 naturally within a day, it becomes necessary to per- 

 form an operation for the i)urp<>se of emptying tiie 

 organ. To do this, the feathers should be removed by 

 clipping them off with a pair of shears from a vertical 

 line about half an inch wide alo-ng the most prominent 

 portion of the crop. Then with a sharp, clean knife 

 an incision about one inch long should be made 

 through the skin and down to the obstructing mate- 

 rial. This can then be removed with the handle of a 

 spoon, or_with the finger, o^r with the loop of a hairpin. 

 When the crop is thoroughly enipliid. its walls should 

 be united by sewing them with, white silk. Care 

 should be taken to avoid including anything besides 

 the walls of the crop in the first seam. After this is 

 perfectly ui'ited the other tissues and the skin may be 

 drawn together with a second set of stitches. The 

 sewing should be done neatly and the tissues should 

 lict be dra^^ u together so that they pucker. The ends 

 of the first set of stitches should be left long and al- 

 lovN'ed to h£ing outside of the wound. In five or six 

 days union will have taken place and the stiches can 

 then be removed by cutting through them with a pair 

 of sharp scissors and drawing them out. After this 

 operation, the bird should be allo-wed no food for 

 twenty -four hours, and only a small amount of water, 

 to which a few grains of salicvlic acid have been added. 



