1 86 Tjie Illustrated Book op Poultry. 



from other causes. " It is very improbable," says Mr. Hinton, " that paralysis will be recovered 

 from without detriment to the bird : if a cock, th'^ carriage will certainly suffer, and there will 

 assuredly be an awkwardness of gait, making it evciy way undesirable to retain the bird. If the 

 paralysis be of the legs only, with the tail drooping, I should be inclined to think that the bird 

 has received a blow on the back, injuring more or less the spinal cord.* Here the aperient and 

 rest — absolute rest — will be of service. Stiychnia in doses of one-sixteenth of a grain, twice a 

 da)', may be useful after the first effects have passeei azvay, but not in the first flush of the disease. 

 The cure of these affections is certain to be tedious." 



Black-rot. — This was a disease to which Spanish fowls particularly were once rather subject, 

 owing in our opinion to the strains imported from Holland, in order to counteract the rough faces 

 of the then English fanciers ; but lately the complaint has been far less common, though still 

 occasionally met with. The symptoms usually commence with blackening of the comb, followed 

 by swelling in the legs and feet, accompanied with gradual emaciation. 



Treatment is only efficacious in the earlier stages, and consists of a dose of calomel or castor- 

 oil to commence with, followed by "Parrish's Chemical Food" or any other simple tonic treatment, 

 with warm and nourishing diet. 



Bronchitis. — This is not a common disease, and is denoted by the frequent coughing of the 

 fowl, as distinguished from a cold in the head only, which last appears in a discharge from one or 

 the other of tlie organs. The fowl must be removed to a dry and moderately warm place, and the 

 water slightly acidulated with sulphuric and nitric acid, adding enough loaf sugar to make the whole 

 slightly sweet and acid to the taste. Under this simple treatment, the fowl will usually improve 

 rapidlJ^ A little cayenne or ginger seasoning may be added to the food with ad\'antage. 



BUMBLE-FOOT. — By this euphonious term is denoted the corn or abscess at the bottom of the 

 foot, which is continually annoying the breeder of. Dorkings. We formerly believed this to be 

 caused by either narrow perches, or by descending or walking on sharp gravel, which irritated the 

 feet ; but during some years we have collected so many proofs of the disorder occurring when the 

 perches were not only low and broad, but where nothing but the softest turf was at command 

 of the fowls, that we have been gradually forced to the conviction that the affection is in some way 

 correlated to the abnormal structure of the Dorking foot, as shown by the fifth toe. As bearing 

 upon this view, we have looked with much interest for signs of the affection in the Houdan breed, 

 which was originally \'ery prone to produce only four toes, but in which the fifth toe is now a nearly 

 fixed character. Accordingly, during the last few seasons we have seen several Houdans with 

 " bumble-foot," though as it is possible they might have been even recently crossed with Dorkings, 

 even this evidence is not entirely conclusive. The fact that the equally heavy Brahma or Cochin 

 is free from the affection, does however prove that the cause can hardly be that commonly supposed. 



Some cases appear incurable, but if taken in good time the daily application of lunar caustic 

 in the ordinary manner will often effect a cure, or the pigment of iodine of the British Phar- 

 macopoeia may be daily painted over the spot with a brush. Later on, actual excision becomes 

 necessary. In cases when the tumour is soft and full of pus, or in the form of an abscess, a free 

 puncture may be made, after which the matter is pressed out, the part fomented with warm water, 

 and after a day or two caustic applied as already directed. In other cases the tumour appears 



* The most frequent cause of such injury, and one we feel sure «'ill account for many mysterious cases, is tlie bird rusliing 

 ur.der a low perch after a hen. 



