324 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



As these worms are readily expelled and always within reach 

 by effective antidotes, treatment is always hopeful. The popular 

 remedies in the market prepared by experts and well endorsed 

 by known persons, may generally be relied upon; and by following 

 directions have been found effective. Outside of these the use 

 of turpentine, in half ounce doses on the empty stomach for a few 

 days; the roots of the male fern powdered in two ounce doses; 

 or the etheric oil of the root in one dram doses, given in two to 

 four ounces of castor oil for a full grown sheep have all been 

 found more or less effective. Tansy in two to six dram doses has 

 been recommended as a preventative, arid is a useful ingredient in 

 some of the proprietary worm powders. Regular use of salt with 

 the standard tonic mixture given on page 314 of this chapter has 

 been found a valuable element of safety in the way of prevention 

 against this pest. 



THE STOMACH ROUND WORMS STRONdYLUS CON- 

 TORTUS THE TWISTED STRONGYLE. 



The twisted strongyle inhabits the fourth stomach of the 

 sheep and the goat. It is by no means a serious pest except in the 

 flocks that are neglected and in poor condition, and unable to 

 resist misfortune. It is from five to ten inches in length (the male 

 is one-third shorter), has a reddish-colored body, and the female 

 is marked with a spiral double line entwining the whole length 

 of it. It is also found twisted in loops, whence the name contor- 

 tus. They live their whole life in the fourth stomach, in which 

 they set up serious irritation, besides greatly interfering with the 

 nutrition of the sheep and the abstraction of blood from the 

 coats of the stomach. Their red color is supposed to be due to 

 the blood thus drawn. The symptoms arising from the presence 

 of this parasite in the stomach are weakness, paleness of the 

 skin and membranes, some fever, diarrhea, and wasting of the 

 body generally. 



This stomach worm, like the common throat and lung 

 strongyle, has no other host than the sheep, passing its life in the 

 stomach, its eggs or mature body filled with eggs being ejected 

 with the dung of the old sheep which are able to resist its effects 

 better than the weaker lambs, and these eggs are taken up with 

 the grass of pastures by the lambs. It is quite possible that 

 the young lambs may be infested directly by the sheep, whose tag 

 locks on the hind parts smeared with dung may have many of 

 the eggs of these worms on them, and these being sometimes 

 sucked by the young lambs hunting ignorantly for the teats, be- 

 come means of infection. That sucking lambs are infested by 

 these worms can hardly be explained otherwise. 



The presence of these worms in the lambs cannot be surely 

 known except by examination after death^aUhough the symptoms 

 are fairly well sufficient for a diagnosis by the veterinarian. The 

 most successful treatment known to the author has been by 

 small, frequent doses of turpentine in milk, in the proportion of 

 one part of the former to eight or ten of the latter, and two ounces 



