Diseases of Pigeo.vs. 
8i 
valuable. Since' my return I have striven hard to get the disease extirpated, but it has baffled all attempts. Various fanciers here 
and elsewhere have been consulted, and the disease is unanimously pronounced to be canker of a malignant kind. 
“ As to the sym >toms and progress of the disease, it shows itself, in the first place, by the pigeon huddling itself up in the most 
pitiable manner, and looking very miserable ; then by a violent sneezing, which gradua’ly assumes the form of a hard dry cough, 
followed by a frothy discharge from the nostrils and mouth. This frothy substance assumes a yellowish tint, and gets consolidated 
in the throat, preventing the bird from swallowing. The bird consequently ‘goes light,’ and in time dies. Usually the disease lasts 
from a week to ten days, but when taken in time, and backed up by a hardy constitution, it will last longer, and sometimes the bird 
will recover. In addition to rinsing the throat twice a day, I have been in the habit of stuffing the bird with sound beans, peas, 
maize, and tares ; but in many cases they have died with their crops full. 
“The disease, I firmly believe, came to me from London, along with some birds I got from a fancier there. These birds were 
the first to take it, and are all now dead. I wrote him some time ago of the state of matters and my impression as to its origin, but 
he denied the paternity. He now writes me he his got the disease among his stock, and lost heavily by it.” 
Here was very evidently true roup of the most virulent and contagious kind, and with a 
marked tendency to run into canker. We could hold out little hope of remedy, but, after careful 
consideration, advised the following treatment, through the columns of the Live Stock Journal and 
Fancier s Gazette , requesting that the result might be reported. We may add that all the various 
branches of treatment were to be carried on simultaneously. 
i. To change the food — i.e., if fed on peas, change to beans, or vice versa, 2. To remove all possible secretion rub daily with 
a swab, and dress with a mixture of one part pure carbolic acid and eight parts glycerine. 3. To pluck the feathers from the 
throat, and paint over externally with tincture of iodine. 4. To administer daily a capsule of cod-liver oil. 
We confess, after so many skilled fanciers had failed, and in such a severe case, our hopes of 
a successful result were not great, but the result far surpassed our expectations. The letter 
describing symptoms was dated September 1st, and under date of November 4th came a letter 
including the following : — 
Out of twelve sick birds, two only have died, eight recovered, and two are still ailing. This does not include a few which have 
been cured by one or two applications of the remedies. I cannot, however, say I am yet rid of the disease, as it is now and then 
breaking out where least expected. Yesterday I discovered a very valuable black Jacobin with a cankerous growth of considerable 
development far down its throat. Being difficult of access, I am somewhat afraid this will prove a fatal case. 
A subsequent letter, dated the 1st of December stated that the black Jacobin also fully 
recovered under the treatment. — En.] 
Small-Pox. — This seems a virulent form of canker. For treatment, see page 90. 
SPOUTS. — For the removal of this troublesome affection of wattled pigeons, see the chapter on 
Carriers, page 86. 
STARVING.— The mode of treating young birds when insufficiently fed has been given at 
page 40. It may be well also to remark, however, that some unusually good feeders will give 
young birds too much food and too little water, in which case the fed bird will die. The remedy is, 
if the young be far enough advanced, to dip its beak in water two or three times a day ; if very 
young, the mouth should be filled with water, and the beak being taken between the lips, a suffi- 
cient quantity given in that way. 
[We may add another expedient which we have often practised, and recommended to 
others, and which has the advantage of being capable of instant application. We were led to it by 
coming home past midnight on one occasion to find a young Barb we thought much of with the 
