Practical Game-Preserving. 96 



make sure of avoiding it is to have the rearing-fields upon 

 fresh ground. If it makes its appearance then again, 

 the only possible means of restricting its ravages is to 

 remove the coops and birds to an entirely fresh site of the 

 description recommended. 



The symptoms do not admit of any misapprehension, 

 and as the disease so speedily runs its course there is no 

 reason why it should be confounded with any other. 

 It generally makes its appearance when the chicks 

 are about a fortnight old. The chicks then appear as if 

 one or both of their legs were numbed or cramped. The 

 muscles are affected, and in from quite a few hours, at 

 times, to a full round of the clock, birds will be seen 

 struggling about with one leg broken, or it may be with 

 both, and lying practically helpless. The effect of the 

 bacillus upon the bird is to inflame the membrane covering 

 the bones of the leg, and also, but not always, of the thigh. 

 The bones from this cause become exceedingly brittle, and 

 break at the pull of the cramped sinews. Death, of 

 course, follows at an earlier or later moment according 

 to the stamina of the chick affected, but as it is invariably 

 the finest and best birds which are attacked, they may 

 linger some time. As I said, there is no cure, and birds 

 affected are best killed and their remains burned. I have 

 noticed that in a season when bright hot sunshine alter- 

 nated with cold, strong showers, the disease ran a quick 

 and violent course. 



The other so-called " cramp " is really due to sun- 

 stroke, which causes the young chicks smitten to run 

 a little way with a staggering gait, when they fall 

 over and lie kicking upon their backs. This action, which 

 is apparently quite spasmodic, may be repeated two or 

 three times, but they soon die from suffocation, the result 

 of the convulsions induced by the sunstroke. If taken in 



