74 THE GAPE WORM. 



Thm Gape Worm (Sijnyamus frachealis). 



Poultry, especially if constantly kept on the same land, often 

 suffer considerable loss from the ravages of a red worm called 

 the " Gape Worm " or " Forked Worm.'' This nematode lives 

 in the air-passages of fowls, chicks, pheasants, and certain wild 

 birds. On opening the trachea and bronchi of a bird showing 

 symptoms of this disease, we find often as many as twenty red 

 forked worms surrounded by a frothy saliva. The small arm 

 of the fork is the male, which remains almost permanently 

 attached to the female. The former is about one-fifth of an 

 inch long, the latter about four-fifths. They are coughed up by 



Fgi, 27. — Gape Woism (Sifngomiis Iracht-olis). 

 (J and 9 in copuju. 



the fowls when they are mature — that is, when full of ova. The 

 eggs escape from the body by its cadaveric decay and lie about 

 upon the ground and in the water, from whence other birds 

 gain the disease. They hatch into small white embryos. 

 Development is direct, no intermediate host being necessary, 

 as has been frequently demonstrated. Their presence can soon 

 be detected by the curious ya\yning and "gaping" of the host 

 and constant straining forward of the neck. Frequent removal 

 of birds, especially chicks, is the best preventive ; whilst fumi- 

 gation and injection of fluids into the trachea, as mentioned in 

 Appendix I., can be employed as remedies. 



