254 
REMARKS ON POULTRY LOUSINESS. 
By J. Woodger, V.S., Market- street, Paddington. 
In The Veterinarian for the last month appears some 
observations, by Mons. H. Bouley, on a cutaneous disease to 
which he has given the name of Poultry Lousiness (phthyriasis 
des oiseaux); from the circumstance of its being produced by 
the existence of lice caught from fowls, through the proximity 
of a hen-roost, which, by keeping up a constant supply of those 
troublesome little animals, in many instances produce an ex- 
cessive degree of itching and uneasiness. 
Prior to making a few remarks upon the above subject, I 
must confess I have never seen the affection in so severe a form 
as that noticed in Mons. F. Bouley’s observations. 
I clearly remember, however, on one occasion, some six or 
seven years since, I was called to attend a horse suffering 
from an affection of the bowels, belonging to Mr. T — , of the 
White Hart Inn, Fulham; and, finding it necessary to stay 
some time with him, I was constantly much annoyed by an 
acute itching on the neck, but more especially about the arms, 
which were for some time necessarily uncovered, and upon 
which I could plainly see a great number of light-coloured 
small and very disagreeable insects; and, upon making are- 
mark on the subject to the man in attendance upon the horses, 
he replied, that he was frequently annoyed in a similar manner 
to a very unpleasant degree, but could not tell the cause. In 
fact, several of the horses had been for a considerable period 
similarly affected ; so much so, that they were constantly 
scratching and rubbing against whatever happened to be within 
their reach, to such an extent that, at times, he was led to sup- 
pose they had got the mange. 
My opinion was asked respecting it, and I attributed it to 
the proximity of a hen-roost which was situated in one corner 
of the stable, yet not immediately over either of the horses. 
I advised the removal of it ; which being done, and the place 
cleaned, a rapid cessation of the annoyance followed, without 
the aid of medical treatment. 
The second case I shall refer to, occurred at an omnibus sta- 
ble in Hammersmith. Its features, however, are so analogous 
to that before mentioned, that it will not be necessary to enter 
farther into it, than merely to state, that the annoyance had 
been in existence for a long time before my attention was di- 
rected to it, and that in this instance, the hen-roost (a large one) 
was separated from the stable by a brick-wall partition ; there 
