100 PRACTICAL PHEASANT REARING. 



disease is attributed by rash persons can account for 

 this phenomenon ; add to which that, if on perceiving 

 the first symptoms of an impending attack of gapes in 

 your young birds, which consists in a "ruffling" or 

 " standing up " of the tiny feathers just above the 

 bill, you kill and cut open one of the affected birds, 

 you will find some red froth just above the windpipe, 

 in the passage leading to the lung. From this froth 

 the worms gradually evolve or appear as the disease 

 grows upon the birds, a process somewhat similar 

 in operation to the production of what is known in 

 rural districts as " cuckoo spit," which is a white froth 

 that comes on land that has been " jelled up," and 

 also on quick hedges. This froth generates or 

 conceals a worm, or, rather, the eggs of a worm, 

 which become apparent by degrees, and the same 

 operation evidently causes the gapes, the froth being 

 engendered by exhalation from the land ; wet, 

 unkindly land, that dries suddenly, being the most 

 certain to propagate the disease, which also attacks 

 calves in exactly the same manner, the worms being 

 in this case larger ; and the disease will be recognised 

 by agriculturists undes the name of " hoose." As the 

 disease increases in intensity, these worms, or 

 entozoa their scientific name being "Sclerostoma 

 syngamus " congregate in a knot, containing perhaps 

 six to ten worms, within the windpipe, thus naturally 

 interfering with the breathing of the chick, which, to 

 relieve itself, gapes, thus causing the body of worms 



