252 



Diseases of Poultry 



It should be noted that in what is here called permanent 

 physiology atrophy of the ovary there is no associated change 

 of the secondary sexual characters. That is, the hen does 

 not assume cock plumage, spurs, enlarged comb and wattles, 

 nor any other of the secondary sexual characters normal to 



Fig. 56. — Showing a case of incomplete hermaphroditism. In front of 

 the line ab the bird has the characters of the male, behind it the char- 

 acters of the female. The ovary was not functional in this bird. (Origi- 

 nal.) 



the male. This indicates that in permanent phj^siological 

 atrophy (just as is known to be the case in temporary) the 

 only function of the ovary which is disturbed is that which is 

 involved in egg formation. The activity of the organ in 

 regard to producing an internal secretion which in some way 

 controls the secondary sexual characters remains unchanged. 

 As congenital atrophy of the ovary are to be classed cases of 



