DISEASES OF POULTRY. 299 



affection, a much more severe form of eruption which is 

 terribly contagious, and appears to be caused by a parasite 

 of the Sarcoptes order. This, also, usually begins round or 

 near the head, sometimes also the feet, before the body 

 itself is reached. Actual pimples are observable in this 

 malady, and as the heads of these break, scales form, and the 

 feathers fall off. Rigid isolation is necessary if the victim is 

 not at once destroyed, and the best treatment will be the 

 rubbing in of an ointment composed of i ounce mercurial 

 ointment, I ounce sulphur ointment, and \ ounce kerosene 

 or paraffin oil. 



Worms. These are not unfrequently observable in the 

 droppings of fowls. The most efficacious remedies (on the 

 authority of Prof. Woodroffe Hill) appear to be, 10 grains 

 of fresh areca-nut powder (fasting) in a spoonful of milk ; or 

 I grain of santonin with 7 grains of the nut ; or 3 or 4 drops 

 of the oil of male fern in a teaspoonful of salad oil. No food 

 should be given for several hours after, and then warm soft 

 food only for a few days. The dose may need to be re- 

 peated in about a week. Turpentine capsules have been 

 also found useful in some cases. Contaminated animal food 

 is the usual cause of worms. All worms expelled or 

 evacuated should be carefully destroyed by burning. 



It will be seen that by far the greater proportion of 

 poultry diseases arise either from cold or wet, or neglect in 

 preserving cleanliness often both combined. It should be 

 noted also that a first general symptom of many such 

 diseases is diarrhoea, which we have observed often mani- 

 fests itself even in roup, before any discharge from the 

 nostrils is perceptible. At this stage much evil may be 

 warded off. Whenever a fowl hangs its wings, and looks 

 drooping, let it be seen at once whether it appears purged, 

 and if so, give immediately, in a tablespoonful of warm 

 water, 10 to 15 drops of essence of camphor. This will be 



