The Lancaster Farmer. 



Dr. S. S. KATHVON, Editor. 



LANCASTER, PA., JUNE, i88l. 



Vol. Zm. No. 6. 



Editorial. 



GAPES OR STRONGYLI. 

 Tlie term (jnpe, in oriutholoijy, means the 

 oi)ening betwetn the miuidiblcsof biids— that 

 is, between the upper and the lower parts of 

 the beak. The pluial of tliis term is there- 

 fore applied to fowls of various kinds, wlieil 

 they are aflected with strowjiiU, a |>eculiar 

 kind of Entozmm, whieli infests the Intvlieu, or 

 windpipe, because under the afllietion the 

 birds are compelled to 0|)en their beaks in 

 order to breathe. Tlie Enlozoa, whicli is the 

 plural form of the word, infest not only 

 domestic fowls, but also many otliers of the 

 feathered tribes. Nor are they confined to 

 to the class Aves alone, but also infest mam- 

 mals—including the human species— fishes, 

 insectans, crustaceans, &c. The term Enta- 

 zocni is a Greek compound — from nitos within, 

 and zoon, an anim.al— and includes an exten- 

 sive group or sub-class of animals located 

 somewhere between the Auticulai-.f. and 

 the Radiat^e ; or, according to various au- 

 thorities, in the one or the otlier of these 

 classes. It is on record tlial, among fowls, 

 these parasites have been found in the trachea 

 of turkeys, pheasants, partridges, ducks, lap- 

 wings, storks, magpies, crows, woodpeckers, 

 starlings, swifts, as well as iu the common 

 barnyard fowls ; and allied species have been 

 found in hawks, owls, &c. But they are not 

 always found in the ti'achea or windi)ipe of 

 the animals tliey infest, being sometimes 

 found in the brain, the eyes, the stomach, 

 the intestines, the kidneys, the spleen, 

 and in the muscular tissues, and the lungs. 

 The particular species wliich infests the com- 

 mon domestic fowls is . Strongylus syngamus, 

 wliich is of a blood-red color, about 12 mm. 

 in length, and is distinguished by the singu- 

 lar phenomenon of having a male and female 

 attached, as though they were the bilid elon 

 gations of one and the same animal. This 

 condition, however, may not always exist, but 

 perhaps only through the fertilizing period, as 

 we have frequently seen it in Lumbricus kr- 

 rcstris, or common "fish-worm." The head 

 is a sort of a cup-shaped " sucker," by which 

 the animal adheres to the trachece of its host, 

 and exhausts its vitality. These parasites 

 particularly infest young chicks of various 

 kinds, and they seem to inherit them, or get 

 the germs into their windpipes at a very early 

 period ; but there is no truth in the surmise 

 that tliey have their parentage in lice ; and 

 I allude to this subject here because recently 

 an attempt has been made to assign tlie pres- 

 ence of these vermin as the cause, or progeni- 

 tors, of the parasites wliich produce the dis- 

 ease popularly known as " (japes," simply be- 

 cause it had been observed liiat those fowls 

 affected with gapes were also infested by lice, 

 which I only deem a coincidence that has its 

 parallel in other departments of organic 

 nature. It seems that a weak, diseased, or 

 enervated condition of either animals or 

 plants, is more favorable to the development 



of their para.sitic enemies tlian a physically 

 liealthy, vigorous and progressive condition. 

 It often occurs that the punctures of insects, 

 or tlieir eggs and young larva;, are tlirowu out 

 of the circulation of vigorous growing fruits 

 and plants, whicli under more favorable cir- 

 cumstances might develop into a gall, tuber- 

 cle, or an e.\crescence. Notable among these 

 coincidences is the extraordinary development 

 of fruits and plants tlmt have been punctured 

 by curculios and other insects ; in which their 

 developmental efibrts are rendered abortive, 

 through the vigor and rapid growth of the 

 fruit or ])laiits. It is not at all unlikely that 

 the instincts of insects should lead them to 

 prefer an enervated tree, fruit or plant, as a 

 nidus for tlieir ova, to a healthy and vigorous 

 one, in which their object of prepetuation 

 might be defeated ; and this rule to some 

 extent might be the case in relation to strong 

 or weak animals. Under any circum.stances 

 strong animals or plants are better able to 

 withstand the attacks of their insect enemies 

 than weak or enfeebled ones, solely because 

 of their gri'ater jjowers of resistance. But I 

 am digressing. 



The history, propagation and development 

 of the Entoziia are perhaps not as well under- 

 stood in their details as they should be, to 

 make the subject clear to the comprehension 

 of the general reader. The question no doubt 

 often arises, " How do these panvsites get into 

 the trachea of our young chicks, seeing that 

 they are too young to have had access to sub- 

 stances infested by Entozoa in any of their 

 forms ?" The same question has often been 

 asked in relation to Epizooty, when there is 

 a general infection among horses, cattle and 

 other animals ; and so also when swine or 

 human beings are infected with Trichinosi.i, 

 more subtle in their development than any 

 form of Strongiilux, or gapes, by ten to one. 

 It seems that Strongyli are not easily 

 destroyed. Even after they liave been success- 

 fully dislodged and removed from the trachea 

 of fowls, the work of entire extermination has 

 only been properly begun. It is like some care- 

 less and slovenly tobacco-growers, who, when 

 they are aliout to cut off their crop, content 

 themselves with merely sliaking off wbat 

 " Sphyii.x-worms " there may happen to be on 

 it, thinking if they only get their " weeds " 

 safely housed, the worms wliich they have 

 left in the field will perish from frost and 

 want of food. " Not so fa.st." Tliese worms 

 will find suHieient food to complete their 

 larval development and ' then retire to their 

 pupal sleep under ground, and the parent 

 moths will come forth in increased numbers 

 the following summer, to the great conster- 

 nation of the grower, who thought they had 

 all been starved or frozen the previous 

 autumn. 



Even so some careless or slovenly strongylus 

 operator, who had dislodged the parasites, 

 and by various devices has withdrawn them 

 from the trnche(V of his fowls, may "sling 

 them away" in disgust, and feel that he has 



accomplished the desired end. . To illuslrate 

 the Himplicity of such a course, allow me to 

 quote from a competent cotemporary authori- 

 ty. ''Erir.hini has found the strongyli living 

 thirty days after exiiosnrc to the air. They 

 were dried up, but l)eing moistened with 

 water, they moved and gave other signs of 

 life. The freed eggs, at the time of their ma- 

 turity, contain ciliated embryo, capable of 

 active progression. The prolonged action of 

 moi.sture from without, aided by vigorous 

 movements of the perfected embryo within, 

 serves to loosen the end of the egg-shell, by 

 the opening of which, tlie animal is set free." 

 This being the case, it must be manifest that 

 their aiipropriation by chicks, and even old 

 fowls, through their food or drink, or through 

 their incessant searching after "tidbits in the 

 earth, is an eiisy, and even a natural tiling. 

 When once lodged iu the stomach— even if 

 they get so far— their progress to the trachea 

 and other parts of the animal body would 

 only be a natural sequence ; especially since 

 allied species have lieen found in the brain 

 and the eyes of birds, and even within the 

 eggs of domestic fowls. They are not the or- 

 derly animals that only enter into their locale 

 through the proper door, but on the contrary, 

 they are sure to climb in some other way, or, 

 in many ways. In addition to the species 

 .v7/ii(/((mws which infests the trachea and bron- 

 chial tubes of fowls, the trachea of calves are 

 often infested by Strongylus rnururu^. This 

 .species is also occasionally found in the horse 

 and the ass. The trachea and lungs of lambs 

 and kids are often infested by Sirongyhis JUa- 

 ria, and the lungs of many, or nearly all, 

 yearlings exhibit tubercular deposits, which 

 are due to analogous parasitic productions. 

 The pig is also subject to the infestations of 

 Strongylus contortus. 



In addition to these typical species, there is 

 the closely allied genus Eustnmgylus, which 

 in its local habitat and development, is still 

 more remarkable thiiii any of the foregoing. 

 These .singular animals were described and 

 figured by Dr. A. S. Packard, Jr., and pub- 

 lished in one of the volumes of Heyden's Sur- 

 vey of Montana, Idaho, &c. by the United 

 States Government. Eustrongylus bueteonis 

 was found iu a hawk, belonging to the genua 

 7iH/eo,.aud what is still more singular, it was 

 found in the "brain of the bird. 



Mr. A. C. Walker found sjiecimens of Eus- 

 tro^lus corddhis in the brain of the Night- 

 hawk, {CordeilusVirginiauus) shot at Camp- 

 ton, New Hampshire, and Eustrotxgylus pap- 

 ilosus vitis found in the brain of a species of 

 Papilo. or "Towce Bunting," of Florida. 



Eveo' "now and then" sensational para- 

 graphs get into the newspapers relating to 

 small animals— dignified by the name of 

 worms, eels or snakes, which have been found 

 in the eye of a horse, a cow, or some other 

 animal, including the eggs of fowls. These 

 all belong to the same cla.ss of animals as the 

 foregoing, but jierhaps to different genera. 



On Several occasions I have found many of 



