Cure of Spouts in the Eye. 
87 
form into a spout or fold under the eye, and which frequently occurs of itself as the wattle grows ; 
but when the tendency exists, the “spout” itself often owes its immediate origin to another bird 
pecking at the wattle, and thereby causing injury and inflammation, which swells the part and 
causes the wattle at once to form a spout to carry off the discharge. What is meant will be seen 
in the head B, Fig. 32. A cold will also cause it ; but, as a rule, most heavy-wattled birds become 
spout-eyed sooner or later merely from the growth of the wattle, which by degrees presses on the 
eye-ball, thus causing some degree of irritation and watery discharge. As the wattle still grows, 
it must form into a fold somewhere, and the discharge running down causes this fold to appear at 
the lower side to carry it off. As it is the very best birds which show this tendency, we cannot at 
all agree with those who would discard them. We certainly have seen a very few large-eyed 
Carriers which never had spouts ; but they are very few indeed, and many which are thought such 
have simply been operated upon in early life, as we have already advised. We do so openly, as 
we do not wish to lose the sight of nearly all our best birds ; or think it wrong to perform an 
operation which enables the subject to live in comfort afterwards instead of misery. On the 
contrary, we would have it performed early, which in most cases permanently saves further trouble, 
as there is no longer any loose projecting part for another bird to catch hold of and drag at, which 
is perhaps the most frequent cause, and often produces such severe inflammation as to cause actual 
loss of sight. Excision of spouts also preserves a bird as a breeder ; for in bad cases the constant 
discharge from the eye weakens the bird so much as to cause a sickly progeny. We should not 
have said so much had we not heard the operation spoken of as if a fraud, which we distinctly say 
it is not ; we openly and avowedly recommend and practise it, and enter into the matter here 
that the proper mode of procedure may be known to all. 
First of all, the bird to be operated upon should have the whole side of the neck on the 
affected side well oiled or greased, as also the shoulder. This is not so much to prevent any blood 
that may flow adhering to the plumage, but in order that when the bird rubs the wounded part on 
the shoulder, irritation may be avoided and the part get a fresh anointing, which will tend to heal 
it. If this is not done, the dry plumage will not only irritate, but may even re-open the partially 
healed wound, and when well the grease is easily washed off. Next the legs should be tied with a 
piece of soft rag, after which a piece of cloth should be rolled round the bird at the shoulders, so as 
to keep it still, or, what is best of all, a stocking with the foot cut off may be pulled over the bird. 
The proper instrument to use is a pair of surgical scissors, shaped like ordinary nail-scissors, but 
with curved blades , by which the blades can be got close to the eye without pointing at it. Before 
cutting, the spout should be drawn away from the eye, and the inside very carefully examined. 
The inner surface will generally be found studded with small red points or nodules, which 
cause the irritation, and these must be so mastered that every one of them may be removed, by 
cutting away the spout a little beyond them. It is necessary to be sure of this, because if any 
of these little pimples are left, it will never make a good cure ; and, on the other hand, there is 
not very much fear of cutting off too much, as it is wonderful how the gap fills up and heals, so 
that the worst cases are well and healed within a week, while we have known some, in which the 
eye-wattle was thin in texture, to be healed in two days. 
The scissors should be dipped before using into Condy’s Red Fluid, which will tend to prevent 
the wound both from bleeding and festering. As soon, also, as the spout is cut off, a small sponge 
should be dipped into the fluid and held against the wounded part with a gentle pressure, repeating 
the dipping for a few times, which will be found soon to stop the bleeding, and is to be continued 
till this is effected. As soon as the flow of blood has ceased, a portion of zinc ointment is to be 
placed on the top part of the eye-wattle, above the wound, so that the heat of the eye may cause 
