The Diseases of Poultry. 24 1 



Its indications are, severe cold with high fever, and in the 

 throat white spots are seen filling the glottis. Any bird 

 so affected should be killed forthwith, as it is one of the 

 most contagious and fatal diseases known, and when once 

 it gets into a yard, it is not often got out again without the 

 sacrifice of all the stock. 



Egg Organs. — The delicate meehanism by means of 

 which the egg is formed and voided, is sometimes put out 

 of order, but, as a rule, this is the result of bad feeding, 

 which stimulates or forces the organs, and the ordinary course 

 of nature is upset. Or, it may be, that the insufficient supply 

 of shell-forming materials, results in soft or shell-less eggs 

 being voided. Birds at liberty are not often so troubled, 

 and those in confinement need to be carefully fed, and to 

 be supplied with the materials for shell formation. Some- 

 times a hen becomes egg-bound, when a little castor oil 

 may be tried, but if that fails, then a little olive oil should 

 be injected into the oviduct, and this will generally secure 

 the object in view. Great care must be taken in so treating 

 a bird, as rough usage may easily break the egg, such a 

 circumstance being almost always followed by a fatal 

 result. 



Feather Eating. — Few birds at liberty are ever found to 

 acquire the disgusting habit of feather eating, and in confine- 

 ment it is found mostly amongst the Asiatic varieties and 

 Houdans. When once contracted it is very difficult indeed 

 to cure the habit, and it is best to remove any bird found 

 so transgressing, and, if not valuable, to kill it, at the same 

 time trying to remove any cause that may exist. 



Idleness is a very great cause of feather eating, and 

 hence the having nothing to do, tempts birds in confinement 

 to pluck out each other's feathers. It may also be that 



