230 JOHN E. GUTBERLET 



the intestine were loose, the scolices being detached from the wall, 

 and were also apparently dead. The rest of the birds were given 

 a second dose twenty-four hours after the first. Many worms had 

 passed with the droppings in from twenty-four to twenty-six hours 

 after the first feeding. Most of the worms in these droppings 

 were dead, but in all probability the embryos were still alive in the 

 mature proglottids. Twelve hours after the second dose was given 

 another bird was killed and it was found that only a few worms were 

 left and all of these were detached and dead. The intestine was 

 filled with a peculiar gray colored, slimy substance composed mainly 

 of mucus. Many entire worms and fragments were passed with 

 the droppings during the period of the feeding. The lye acted^to 

 some extent as a purgative. 



The birds were given normal diet again, and in a few days 

 they showed no symptoms of infection. Eight days after the sec- 

 ond dose two more birds were killed and examinations made. One 

 possessed a small fragment of a tapeworm and the other was en- 

 tirely free. 



The effects of such treatment upon the flock as a whole were 

 shown later. While I was carrying on other investigations with 

 chicken cestodes my father noticed that the birds were very heav- 

 ily infested with worms. In an endeavor to free the birds of the 

 worms and to improve their general condition he fed them a mix- 

 ture of cooked grain and lye on July 15, unknown to me. As a 

 result the entire flock of nearly four hundred birds was practically 

 frejed from the worms by a single application of the remedy. The 

 cestodes were so thoroughly removed that there were not enough left 

 to allow me to go on with my investigations and my observations on 

 the worms were not taken up again until August 10, when the birds 

 had become infested again and the parasites had grown to such size 

 as to enable the continuance of my work. 



This remedy is a very simple one and is practical. It has 

 been known to many poultry raisers for some time, but they have 

 neglected to use it, mainly on account of the fact that heretofore 

 no definite evidence has ever been presented concerning its actual 

 working possibilities. It may not, and in all probability will not, 

 remove all the worms, but it does remove most of them so that they 

 are not serious and can be controlled in the flock as a whole. 



In a large flock the birds can be housed for the length of 

 time required for the fast, then fed on the cooked grain and kept 



