64 THE PIGEON BOOK 



enteritis and dysentery follow, and the subject speedily 

 succumbs. 



The opening of the crop is a very simple operation. The 

 incision should not be made too low down. Make a cross- 

 slit in the crop. There are two membranes, an outer and 

 inner. After clearing the crop, which it is as well to wash 

 with Condy's Fluid, carefully stitch the parts with a fine 

 needle and silk. They will heal quickly, and if you can 

 get the bird to pass a little castor oil sometimes the going 

 light will stop as quickly as it came on. 



When once a bird recovers from going light I have never 

 known a case of one suffering from a second attack, and 

 they will generally live to a ripe old age. 



If taken on the appearance of the first symptoms, two 

 drops of laudanum on a small piece of crust may allay 

 further trouble. 



The disease in the case of young birds is accompanied 

 by a stoppage of the moult, or the moult of the first flight- 

 feather does not start as it should. 



The drawing of the feather and the growth of the subse- 

 quent feather may bring about a cure. 



Old fanciers, for this reason, are wont to pull the tail- 

 feathers of the young birds affected with this disease, pre- 

 scribing this as the best and safest remedy. But the 

 appearance of these tailless birds in their flights is so un- 

 sightly that the remedy seems to me worse than the disease. 



Still, if the disease is accompanied by a stoppage of the 

 moult should the next feather be naturally thrown the 

 subject is well on the way to recovery, and will gradually 

 recover. 



During convalescence, in fact, in nearly all cases of 

 going light, providing the organs of nutrition are doing 

 reasonable work and medicine is likely to take effect, I 

 have found cod liver oil and quinine capsules, a 5-minim 



