14G Diseases of Pheasants. 



ground. A little salicylate of soda may be added to all the 

 birds' drinking water, and the ground of the infected pen should 

 be watered with a 2 per cent, solution of sulphuric acid, or, 

 better still, dressed heavily with quickhme, which should 

 be allowed to lie on the surface for about three days and then 

 dug in. The treatment for the afflicted birds is to free the 

 mouth as far as possible from all growths, and dress the under- 

 lying surfaces with a strong solution of boric acid. The nasal 

 passages should be syringed out with a 3 per cent, solution 

 of boric acid, and the eyes and surrounding feathers and skin 

 bathed with the same solution. In early stages the disease 

 can often be cured so long as only the mouth is invaded ; of 

 course, as soon as the oesophagus or trachea is affected little 

 or nothing can be done, and the best plan is to destroy the bird 

 and burn the carcase. 



Enteritis. 



Fatal epizootics of enteritis amongst pheasants may occur 

 from various causes. In 1809 Professor Klein first described 

 a fatal epizootic occurring amongst poultry under the name 

 of " fowl enteritis," or the " Orpington disease," so called 

 from its appearance on a farm in Kent, on which the farmer 

 lost above 400 birds between March 1888 and 1889. Dr. Klein 

 stated the disease was highly infectious, from the evacuations 

 of the diseased fowls scattered on the ground contaminating 

 the food which is picked up by the others, and rapidly 

 spreading amongst the entire flock. The symptoms are severe 

 purging of yellow evacuations, and the bird is found dead 

 in one or two days. The disease can only be checked by the 

 immediate removal of the uninfected birds from the tainted 

 ground, which should be disinfected with quicklime or, better 

 still, gas-lime, and well turned over, and, if possible, a crop of 

 some sort grown on it before being used again as a rearing 

 ground ; it would be better to follow Dr. Klein's advice, 

 namely, that no fresh stock should be put on the tainted soil. 

 Every infected bird should be destroyed and the carcase 



