264 THE POULTRY-BOOK. 



ing a large part of their existence in coops and under shelter, 

 so that they are more liable to be affected by exposure. 



The researches of M. Flourens, a distinguished French 

 physiologist, who has investigated the subject of disorders pro- 

 duced in fowls by cold with great care and success, produce 

 the following important results. 



1. " That in these creatures cold exercises a constant and 

 determined action on the lungs." 



2. " That this action is more sudden and more serious, in 

 proportion as the creature is of tender age." 



3. " That when cold does not produce a pulmonary inflam- 

 mation, acute and speedily fatal, it produces chronic inflamma- 

 tion, which is in fact pulmonary phthisis." 



4. " That warmth uniformly prevents the access of pulmo- 

 nary phthisis, and as uniformly suspends its progress, when 

 this has commenced ; and sometimes even stops it entirely, and 

 effects a complete cure." 



5. " That this disease, at whatever stage it may have arrived, 

 is never contagious. The chickens affected were with healthy 

 chickens, and roosted at night in the same baskets, without 

 inconvenience." 



The symptoms of this disease are unmistakable, and are 

 like all other symptoms of cold, hoarseness, sneezing, &c. &c. 



Remedy. Shelter and housing, and sometimes the indul- 

 gence of the fireside. Temperature alone is the dominant 

 principle, to which attention ought to be paid. 



III. DISEASES OF THE CIRCULATION. 



The heart in fowls, as in man and quadrupeds, consists of two 



ventricles for throwing the blood into the arteries one to be 



distributed to the lungs, and the other through the rest of the 



body, and two auricles, for receiving the returned blood . The 



