248 POULTRY CULTURE 



twist the feather and withdraw. The mass will usually be 

 dislodged, and if not drawn out will be expelled by the bird 

 sneezing. 



As a precautionary or prophylactic measure it is well to 

 feed only from containers constructed for the purpose and 

 which can be kept clean. (See Figs. 91, 92, 93, and 94.) 



Do not allow the chicks to run on wet ground where they 

 are likely to find earth-worms. Keep them on a board or 

 concrete floor. 



TAPEWORMS 



There is a group of worms that are flat and ribbon shaped. 

 They are commonly called tapeworms. There are several 

 varieties which infest the intestinal tract of most animals, 

 including man, horse, cow, dog, cat, rat, fish, and poultry. 



Description. — The tapeworm is provided with a head, a 

 neck, and a body. The head is provided with a fixation ap- 

 paratus — ^that is, a means of holding on. This apparatus 

 consists of four sucker disks and booklets. These booklets 

 are very small in size; they are, in fact, seen only by aid of the 

 microscope. By means of this fixation apparatus it holds 

 on to the mucous membrane lining the intestines and floats 

 back in its content. The entire head is scarcely as large as 

 the head of a pin. The neck in most species infesting the 

 intestinal tract of birds is short and thick. The body varies 

 in length according to the species of worm. The body is flat 

 or ribbon shaped and consists of a chain of segments. In some 

 species the segments close to the head are very narrow and 

 short. As the distance from the head grows greater, the seg- 

 ments become wider and longer. There are no distinct males 

 and females as in round- worms. The first segments close to the 

 neck are not provided with generative or reproductive organs, 

 but as the distance from the head grows greater, or as the seg- 

 ments grow and develop, they finally develop the generative 

 organs, and the segment is spoken of by parasitologists as 

 being mature, and, like plants, seK-fertihzation takes place, 

 being now provided with both male and female generative 

 organs fertilizes itself. After fertilization each segment devel- 

 ops many hundreds of eggs. After all these eggs are mature 



