POULTRY DISEASES AND THEIR TREATaiENT. 



17 



fertilized and mature the segment 

 containing them drops off and passes 

 to the exterior with the feces of the 

 host. Each segment of this l<ind 

 contains thousands of eggs. 



If these eggs are to develop far- 

 ther they must be swallowed by some 

 intermediate host ( as a worm, snail 

 or insect). The egg then hatches 

 into a 6-hooked embryo which bores 

 its way from the intestine into the 

 body cavity of the intermediate host. 

 It here develops into a larval form 

 known as a cysficcrcoid. When the 

 intermediate host (worm, snail, etc.") 

 is eaten by a chicken this larva con- 

 tinues its development and forms 

 an adult tape worm. Thus there 

 are two stages in the life cycle of a 

 tape worm : that in the adult host 

 and that in the intermediate host. 

 Each species of tape worm, of which 

 there are a great many, has its par- 

 ticular host, both intermediate and 

 final. 



According to Stiles (Bur. An. 

 Ind. Bui. 12) there were up to 1896, 

 33 species of tape worms recorded 

 for poultry. Of these 11 are re- 

 corded as occurring in chickens. 

 The complete life history is known 

 Regarding the tape worms of chick- 

 p. 13: "(They) are knoimi to become 

 infected with one tape worm through eating slugs (Limax). 

 They are supposed to become infected with a second through 

 eating snails (Helix) ; by a third through eating fhes and by a 

 fourth through eating earth worms." 



There seems but little need to give a description of the differ- 

 ent species of tape worms found in chickens. The characters 

 by which they are distinguished from each other are too minute 

 and involved to be of use to the poultryman or farmer. If any- 

 one is having trouble with tape worms in poultry the best thing' 



Fig. 6. Drepanidotaciiia in 

 fundibulifonnis. a tape 

 worm of the fowl. (Af- 

 ter Stiles). 



for only a few of these, 

 ens, Stiles {loc. cit.) says. 



