Diseases Poultry are Liable to. 
121 
whether it can be successfully treated or not. This derangement has a retarding effect on their procreative 
abilities, but birds affected are not diseased, and are perfectly good for eating. 
Japeworm. — This worm is much less common than the round worm. It appears to be identical witli 
the tapeworm found in cats ( Taniia crassicollis J, and it is therefore highly probable that it is derived from 
the same source— the fluke of the liver of the mouse. Usually there are no noticeable symptoms of the 
presence of the tapeworm (like pieces of tape), the bird often becoming thin and emaciated from no apparent 
cause. If the joints of the worm are noticed in the droppings, areca-nut or santonin, as prescribed for 
round worm, given every other morning for a week (fasting), an hour afterwards being followed by a quarter 
of a teaspoonful of Epsom salts, will eject them. The droppings should be carefully examined, and, if 
worms are present, burned. 
Testicles, Enlargement of ///t-. — This affection is not a common one, but occasional cases are met with. 
A cock suffering from enlarged and congealed testicles is inclined to be quiet, and is careful not to fly up to 
any height, or jump to the ground, often remaining on the roost. The gait is peculiar, the body rising and 
falling more than is normal, the bird seeming greatly depressed. The plainest food should be given, and also 
a pill composed of 3 grains of iodide of potassium morning and night, housing the bird in a coop. This 
treatment will conside'ably relieve the bird, even if not completely successful in making a cure. 
Vent Gleet. — This is an inflammation of the lower portion of the bowels, the expanded portion which 
receives both fecal and urinary discharges, resembling a certain venereal disease, and is highly contagious. 
The first symptom observed is a constant and frequent contraction of the end of the bowel, as if the bird was 
desirous of ejecting something. On examination the membrane will be found very hot, dry, and swollen. 
The day following a discharge takes place ; at first whitish, then yellow and foul-smelling; This collects and 
dries around the vent, partially closing the opening. To treat this, an injection composed of 5 giains 
sulphate of zinc to each half-pint of water should be used daily. The bird affected should be strictly isolated, 
as, even with the very best attention, the disease will run a course of ten days to a fortnight. 
Wry Tail. — To make an efifective cure of wry or squirrel tail requires some surgical skill. A tail 
carried slightly awry, and not connected with spinal deformity, may sometimes be improved by dividing the 
tight tendon, that is, the one nearest the acute angle formed by the tail, or else by removing a piece of the 
flesh lengthways on the opposite side ; as this heals the contraction of the wound formed, and, aided by a 
daily bending of the tail in the right direction, will assist in compelling the bird to carry its tail 
properly. A bird that is wry-tailed should not be used in the breeding-pen, this deformity being strongly 
hereditary. 
It is well, in all cases of death by disease, to hold a post-mortem on the bird, as by this means it is 
often possible to ascertain the cause of death, and, if a preventable disease or complaint, will act as a guide 
in the management of other stock. The bird it is intended to dissect should be allowed to get quite cold 
and should be entirely plucked before operating. 
