Diseases of Pigeons. 57 



crowded pigeonries, but it is undoubtedly most infectious, and may 

 often be introduced by an infected bird, not necessarily suifering from 

 it at tbe time of its introduction, but having in its system the seeds 

 of the disease, which by the time it shows itself, makes any measures 

 for the proteotiou of the other birds abortive. Although foul water may 

 not be the cause of an outbreak of canker in a loft, the water from 

 which they drink in common has much to do with the spread of it, 

 but beyond separating the infected birds and paying regard to cleanliness 

 and ventilation, I cannot advise any method of retarding it when once 

 thoroughly established in a loft, for it will run its course, and, when in 

 a severe form, spoil a whole season's work in breeding, not disappearing 

 till the advent of cold weather. When this disease has taken thorough 

 root in a loft, almost every young bird of choice breed will become 

 infected with it at from two to four weeks old, even though the feeders 

 do not themselves have it. Few recover from it, the strain on their 

 systems when so young being too great. Canker would sometimes seem 

 to be the direct result from foul drinking-water and dirty food, as 

 pigeons that are sent long distances by sea invariably become infected 

 by it, when not kept scrupulously clean. The best guard against an out- 

 break of canker is strict attention to cleanliness, no overcrowding in the 

 loft, and great care in introducing fresh birds during the breeding season. 

 I, myself, have never had a canker epidemic among my pigeons all through 

 a breeding season, but more than once it has appeared in my pigeonry 

 about the end of July, and almost every young one hatched thereafter has 

 become affected with it. It takes various forms ; first in the throat, in 

 which form it appears, to a greater or lesser extent, as lumps of cheesy 

 looking matter, which, if only small and at the entrance of the throat, so 

 as not to interfere with the swallowing, may be often cured by being 

 touched with nitrate of silver or alum ; but if of large extent, and deep 

 down in the throat, so as to prevent swallowing, it causes death from star- 

 vation. Canker sometimes forms in the head, below one eye, and it will 

 then often grow so rapidly that in a few days it will distort the head out 

 of all proportion and cause death. I have never been able to cure this 

 form of it. Again, the upper or under mandible is often affected and 

 becomes swollen and distorted, preventing the squab from being fed. 

 Painting the sores with tincture of perchloride of iron, or with glycerine 

 and carbolic acid (six or eight of the former to one of the latter) has 



