THE PIGEON BOOK 53 



Want of exercise, improper feeding, the use of too 

 exciting food, hot weather or sudden changes in the 

 weather, and fatty degeneration are amongst the many- 

 causes. 



For treatment I have found it best to immediately sup- 

 press the use of heavy beans, confining the feeding to 

 peas, and peas only of about two years old and well 

 harvested. 



Avoid hempseed or anything of a heating nature. 



Mix about half an ounce of iodide of potassium to 

 two quarts of water, and give to drink every other day ; 

 or gently purge with sulphate of soda, half an ounce 

 to one quart of drinking-water. 



Canker. 



This disease is undoubtedly one of the worst, if not the 

 very worst, and most common amongst all classes of 

 pigeons. 



Cultivations have not been taken of the growths, but 

 M. Wittouck is of the opinion, from experiments made, 

 that canker in pigeons must not be confounded with 

 ordinary cases of diphtheria, although the symptoms of 

 canker in very young pigeons are very much the same. 



I believe that canker can be fed into young birds from 

 the old birds, and in cases where this is common some 

 cause for it can be ascertained : either in-breeding has been 

 resorted to or the old birds have only a partial or 

 improper moult. 



My own opinion as to canker is that in some forms, 

 although epidemic and attacking the majority of the 

 youngsters in the loft, it is not exactly contagious; that 

 is to say, birds suffering from canker will not give the 

 disease to others by mere contact. And for this reason 



