ihe MAVCS IN (PouirrRNs 

sistent. I have seen the breast, and especially the rump, 
denuded by this fungus, which, when present on the 
feathered parts, usually ends fatally unless treatment is 
resorted to. The feathers become erect and dry and fall off, 
and leave behind the denuded skin covered with yellowish 
grey crusts, showing here and there depressions from which 
the feathers have fallen. The fungus may easily be observed 
by scraping the diseased surface or the skin under the crusts, 
and examining the’ débris under the microscope. It will 
then be seen to consist of a number of tine threads, the 
mycelia, and numerous spores, sometimes nearly the whole 
mass composed of the latter. To examine the fungus, the 
débris from the skin and-crusts should be put on a slide, 
and then moistened with distilled water and a little acetic 
acid. 
Nearly all breeds seem equally susceptible, but I have 
never known this disease to occur in Indian Game. Zurn 
states that those of Cochin China descent are most liable to it. 
Care should be taken in handling patients, as the disease 
can be transmitted to man, on whom it is not so amenable to — 
treatment as in birds. I fancy, however, that the disease 
can only be planted either naturally or artificially on an 
abraded surface—at least, in experimenting on poultry I 
have found this to be the case. 
TREATMENT 
Consists in bathing the invaded narts with warm water 
and soft soap, and then applying some ointment to 
destroy the parasite. Nitrate of silver well rubbed into the 
comb and wattles has been found of great benefit; an 
ointment of 5 per cent. of the nitrate of silver in lard may be 
used for this purpose. [have found red oxide of mercury, 
one part, to lard eight parts, an excellent remedy if used for 
several days. A correspondent of the Board of Agriculture 
advises ‘‘ powdered zinc, copper, and iron rubbed on the 
damp comb.” At the recent Poultry Conference, at 
Reading, ¢iymol was mentioned as a possible remedy for 
favus, it having been used successfully in treating ringworm, 
a somewhat similar parasitic disease in the human subject. 
