OTHER DISEASES. 137 



is recommended to be taken off with a pin, 

 and the fowl afterward forced to swallow 

 some wine. We do not comprehend either 

 the nature of the disease or the rationality 

 of the remedy. There is, however, a dis- 

 ease incident to fowls which is always fa- 

 tal, but is fortunately of rare occurrence. 

 A hen is observed to be sluggish in her mo- 

 tions, averse to the cock, carries her head 

 and neck up straight, with her belly drag- 

 ging on the ground. Often she feeds ea- 

 gerly and voraciously, and becomes very 

 fat, and even continues to lay, until some 

 day she is found dead in the poultry-yard. 

 Upon* opening her, the oviduct is discovered 

 to be ruptured, and an egg in the last stage 

 of putrefaction is found among her intes- 

 tines. 



With one general remark we will close 

 this chapter. Whenever the nature of the 

 disease in adult fowls is unknown, and in- 

 terrupts their usual functions, or, if known, 

 is utterly irremediable, such as convulsions, 

 blindness, the bursting of an egg in the 

 body, or * some internal ulcer, humanity re- 



