Impaction of the Crop. Ingluvial Indigestion . 95 



reflex action, and paralyzing the vagus and its peripheral . 

 branches in the lungs, heart, stomach, liver, intestines, etc. 

 When the food is dry as in the case of beans, peas, bran, farinas, 

 it may be a simple firm impaction which the muscular walls of 

 the crop are unable to break up or move onward. When green 

 food is taken there is often superadded the additional evil of 

 active fermentation from the great number and activity of the 

 bacterial ferments contained in it and the soft aqueous fermentes- 

 cible nature of the food (See tympany in ruminants) . Dupont 

 states that young geese led out to fresh spring grass may lose 

 two-thirds of their number in a few hours from such overloading 

 and that some species of Carex a^id cynodon dactylon are particu- 

 larly injurious. Chickens al.so gorge the crop with clover, etc. 

 In all such cases, plants that contain a paralyzing principle like 

 lolium teraulentum, ripening loliuni perenne, chick vetch, etc., 

 are to be specially dreaded. (See Trichosoma Coutortum). 



Symptoms. There are first dullness and sluggish movements, 

 followed by indisposition to move, the bird standing in one place 

 with ruffied feathers and drooping wings, and at intervals, pro- 

 jecting the head forward with open beak and in some cases a 

 little liquid is rejected. If the bird is now caught and examined 

 the crop is found to be firmly distended, and more or less com- 

 pressible or indentible according to the nature of the food im- 

 pacted. In mo.st cases and especially if the food has been green 

 or aqueous, there is a certain resiliency from the presence of gas 

 outside the solid impacted mass. 



Treatment. This must be in the line of seconding the physio- 

 logical efforts of regurgitation which is a normal and common 

 act in birds. The duck which has gulped a mouse half-way down 

 the cervical part of the oesophagus will readily disgorge it when 

 he finds it impossible to pass it further. The carnivorous birds 

 often reject by vomiting the indigestible debris such as feathers 

 and bones, after all the more soluble parts have been disposed of 

 in the stomach. The pigeon even feeds its young by disgorging 

 into their open bills, the semi-digested food and milk from its 

 crop. Following these indications we must break up the contents 

 of the crop by manipulation and force them in small ma.sses up- 

 ward into the bill and downward to the proventriculus. The 

 rejection by the bill maybe further stimulated by introducing the 



