88 
The Illustrated Book of Plgeons. 
it to gradually melt and run down on to the wounded place, which will keep it soft, and prevent 
the wounded part and the edges of the eye-wattle sticking together. This must be watched, for it 
suffered to occur it is not only likely to cause the wound breaking out afresh, but may cause the 
formation of matter inside the closed lids, which greatly endangers the sight of the eye. If zinc 
ointment is not at hand, fresh butter or lard will do ; but the ointment having a cicatrising effect is 
much the best, and by a little care all danger of the eyelids sticking together is easily avoided. 
Till the bleeding is stopped the wound should be held downwards, so that no blood may run into 
the beak of the bird. 
When all flow of blood is stopped and the ointment applied, the bird should be placed (still 
bandaged) in a narrow box or basket for a few hours, till the wound is a little hardened. The 
place should be only just wide enough, so that it cannot twist about, which might open the wound 
afresh. After this the stocking should be slipped off backwards, or the bandage undone, and the 
legs untied, re-tying them in such a manner that the bird can just walk in his pen, but not lift 
either foot so as to scratch the eye, which he otherwise might do. Next morning another portion 
of the zinc ointment should be placed on the wound itself, and also applied all round the eye- 
wattle and on the shoulder of the bird, so that if he rubs his head it may come in contact with the 
ointment. In a very few days all will be right and sound, and the bird will be relieved of a 
permanent annoyance or suffering at the expense of very little pain. 
If it be found that the operation is not quite thoroughly done, but that any of the irritating 
pimples are left, the wound should be allowed to become quite healed before anything more is done, 
when the slight further portion required may be removed. If both eyes need operation — unless 
they are so bad that to operate on both at once might be too much for the bird — it causes least 
suffering, and gets the whole over at once, to remove the spouts from both, and then with a needle 
to pass a silk thread through the root of each eye-wattle, where they roll over the skull, tying it so 
as to draw the eye-wattles nearly together over the skull. This will quite prevent the upper lids of 
the eye-wattles closing upon the wound below, and hasten the cure materially. We hardly need 
say that care should be taken to remove the thread as soon as its purpose has been accomplished. 
Before leaving this subject, we may remark that for all wounds and injuries to the wattles zinc 
ointment is the best application we are acquainted with. 
The foregoing mode of treating spouts in the eye-wattle naturally leads us to the worst, most 
prevalent, and most troublesome of all diseases prevalent among Carriers, though it is not peculiar 
to them, as it attacks all pigeons possessing wattle round the beak and eye, the Barb being as 
much subject to it as the Carrier. We refer to canker. This assumes various forms ; but we know 
for certain that nearly all, if not quite all, cases are caused by either cold or irritation in some form 
or other. In the few cases where no such direct cause can be traced, we believe it to arise from the 
birds being bred from parents which were cankered ; as we have noticed several times, that though 
such parents may not always infect their young while in the nest-pan (which however they 
generally do), the young are almost certain to develop it at some period in later life. It is these 
hereditary cases which are worst, and indeed often incapable of cure ; but nearly every bird which 
is attacked from cold may be cured if taken in time. 
Canker in the ear is first to be traced by the swelling of the part, after which it may assume 
either of two forms. The worst is when the ear actually discharges offensive matter. In this the 
treatment is to bathe, as hot as the bird can bear, with water in which some soap and soda have 
been boiled, squeezing a sponge gently against the ear, but on no account rubbing it. In such 
operations the bird’s head must be so held that the water cannot run into the mouth, which might 
occasion sores there also. This bathing must be done every day, and, if a mild case, will be 
