56 Fancy Pigeons. 



have found for this disease, whicli ia known in the fancy as " going 

 light," is from six to ten drops of laudanum in a teaspoonfal of water, 

 daily. Nothing seems to do the least good in many cases ; but whcu 

 the bird survives ten days of illness, there is always good hope of its 

 ultimate recovery. When this disease attacks young pigeons in the nest, 

 wliich it does in very many cases, there is no hope of their recovery, 

 but I have known them, when not attacked till six weeks old, come 

 through very severe attacks of it. The most fatal time for them, when 

 once able to fly and do for themselves, is during their first moult, and 

 those that pass that period without having this distemper, sometimes 

 take it during their second year, and not unfrequently when feeding 

 young ones. After this period, they are comparatively safe, and their 

 systems so hardened that if they do take it they are able more easily to 

 throw it off, though there are exceptions. I should think that among 

 the more choice varieties of fancy pigeons something like 50 per cent, 

 have to go through this distemper in a more or leas severe form. 

 Many do not consider a bird safe till it has passed through it in some 

 form or other, and after safely passing through it many consider a bird 

 about twice as valuable as it was before, so many have to succumb 

 to its effects. Those that recover from very severe attacks may be 

 reckoned on as good for several years. In the worst cases it is astonish- 

 ing how soon they recover when they once take the turn for the better ; 

 they seem to get heavy about as fast as they got light. In this disease 

 it is better to keep them from food for some days after seclusion, 

 gi\dng only water. They have generally a great desire to eat, but when 

 it ia found that the food does not pass from the crop, as it often does 

 not, it can only do harm and hasten their death. I refer, of course, 

 to the worst cases, each of which must be treated on its own merits, 

 and by careful observation of the state of the crop each morning. When 

 the food is found to pass from the crop freely, one or two days total 

 abstinence at the commencement of the illness is all that is necessary to 

 give the requisite rest to the inflamed or ulcerated bowels, and at the 

 same time allow the laudanum to have its soothing effect. When the dung, 

 from an offensive green appearance, begins to change to a more healthy 

 state, the recovery of the bird may be reckoned on. 



Canker is a disease that makes sad havoc in a loft of pigeons, when it 

 gets established. I have generally found it make its appearance in over- 



