THE PIGEON BOOK 77 



soda sulph., Joz. For a fortnight clear them out 

 with a dose of this twice per week ; dissolve in one quart 

 boiling water and add half -pint mixture to three pints 

 of drinking water; let all the birds have a drink. Feed 

 on maple peas of the very best quality and give a liberal 

 supply. Don't let birds sit about in the damp. Take 

 away all water and food the night before giving the mix- 

 ture, and when they have all had a good drink in the 

 morning take away the salt mixture. 



Remove all obstacles in the loft against which there is 

 a possibility of wing butts or shoulder being struck, and 

 as a tonic to strengthen the birds give them occasionally 

 a cod liver oil and quinine capsule; a 5 or lo-minim 

 capsule containing half a grain of quinine will do. 



Where the trouble arises from a collapse after a hard 

 fly complete rest is the only cure, administering a tonic 

 of Parrish's chemical food, a 5-minim capsule daily, 

 and feeding on light, easily-digestible food. 



Worms. 



I have frequently come across cases of tape worms in 

 pigeons. The bird becomes thin and languid, the eyes 

 being dull and sunken in the head. The appetite seems 

 to be abnormal, and the subject does not fly with its custo- 

 mary vigour. By carefully watching the subject the tape 

 worm will frequently be found to protrude from the stern. 



I have removed tape worms of from three to four feet 

 in length in pigeons. There are, in addition to tape 

 worms, other small worms and parasites which will affect 

 them. The best treatment that I have found for the re- 

 moval of worms is to give the bird a 5-minim capsule of 

 male-fern oil on an empty crop, followed about two hours 

 afterwards by a dose of castor oil, occasionally physicking 

 with a little sulphate of magnesia. I have found this 



