Various methods have been attempted for preserving birds from
putrefaction, so as to retain their natural form and position, as well
as the beauty of their colours and plumage. A good antiseptic for animal
substances has been much inquired after, as, for want of it, many
curious animals, and birds particularly, from foreign parts, entirely
miscarry, and others of the finest plumage are devoured by insects. The
following improved method by Dr. Lettsom seems to be the least
troublesome, and the most complete. After opening the bird by a
longitudinal incision from the breast to the vent, dissecting the fleshy
parts from the bones, and removing the entrails, eyes, tongue, and
brains, (which in large birds may be extracted through the eye-holes
with a surgeon’s directar,) the cavities and inside of the skin are to
be sprinkled with the powders mentioned below. Glass eyes, which are
preferable to wax, are then to be inserted, and the head stuffed with
cotton or tow, and a wire is to be passed down the throat through one of
the nostrils, and fixed on the breast bone. Wires also to be introduced
through the feet, up the legs and thighs, and inserted into the same
bone; next fill the body with cotton to its natural size, and sew the
skin over it; the attitude is lastly to be attended to, and whatever
position the subject is placed in to dry, it will be retained
afterwards. The dyeing compound is as follows:—
Corrosive sublimate ¼ lb.
Saltpetre, prepared or burnt ½ lb.
Alum, burnt ¼ lb.
Flowers of sulphur ½ lb.
Camphor ¼ lb.
Black pepper 1 lb.
Tobacco, ground coarse 1 lb.
Mix the whole, and keep it in a glass vessel, stopped close. Small birds
may be preserved in brandy, rum, arrack, or first runnings; though the
colour of the plumage is liable to be extracted by the spirit. Large
sea-fowl have thick strong skins, and such may be skinned; the tail,
claws, head, and feet are carefully to be preserved, and the plumage
stained as little as possible with blood. The inside of the skin may be
stuffed as above. Kuckahu observes, (in the Phil. Trans. vol. ix. p.
319.) that “Baking is not only useful in the fresh preservations, but
will also be of very great service to old ones, destroying the eggs of
insects; and it should be a constant practice, once in two or three
years, to bake them over again, and to have the cases fresh washed with
camphorated spirit, or the sublimate solution, which would not only
preserve collections from decay, much longer, but also keep them sweet.”
But Dr. Lettsom remarks that, “Baking is apt to crimp and injure the
plumage, unless great care be used, and, therefore, the proper degree of
heat should be ascertained by means of a feather, before such subjects
are baked.” And he prescribes as the best preservative, boxes well
glazed; and he adds, “When the subject is to be kept for some time in a
hot climate, it should be secured in a box filled with tow, oakum, or
tobacco, well sprinkled with the sublimate solution.” In Guiana, the
number and variety of beautiful birds is so great, that several persons
in the colony advantageously employ themselves, with their slaves and
attendants, in killing and preserving these animals for the cabinets of
naturalists in different parts of Europe. The method of doing this, as
related by Mr. Bancroft, (in his Nat. Hist. of Guiana,) is, to put the
bird which is to be preserved in a proper vessel, and cover him with
high wines, or the first running of the distillation of rum. In this
spirit he is suffered to remain for twenty-four or forty-eight hours, or
longer, till it has penetrated through every part of his body. When this
is done, he is taken out, and his feathers, which are no ways changed by
this immersion, are placed smooth and regular. It is then put into a
machine, made for the purpose, among a number of others, and its head,
feet, wings, tail, &c. are placed exactly agreeable to life. In this
position they are placed in an oven, very moderately heated, where they
are slowly dried, and will ever after retain their natural position
without danger of putrefaction.—_Ency. Lond._
BISCUIT, _s._ A kind of hard, dry bread, made to be carried to sea;
a composition of fine flour, almonds, and sugar.
BISHOP, _s._ A cant word for a mixture of wine, oranges, and sugar.
BISHOP, _v._ _To bishop a horse_, is to remove, by filing, the
distinguishing marks by which the teeth indicate the age. It was
a very common practice some years since, and is still resorted
to by low horse dealers. It will, however, by carefully
observing other indiciæ of age, be easily detected. See AGE OF
HORSE.
BISTORT, _s._ A plant called snake-weed. The roots are a very
powerful astringent. It has also styptic properties.
BISTOURY, _s._ A surgeon’s instrument, used in making incisions.
BIT, _s._ The iron part of the bridle which is put into the horse’s
mouth.
BIT, _v._ To put the bridle upon a horse.
BITCH, _s._ The female of the dog kind.
Bitches should be allowed to breed, nor is it good for their health to
prevent it; for nature almost invariably punishes extraordinary
deviations from her established laws, of which the reproductive system
is one of the most important. Breeding, therefore, is so much a healthy
and necessary process, that bitches prevented from it rarely remain
unaffected by disease. Bitches in heat are very cunning, and often elude
all but the greatest vigilance in their attempts to escape in search of
a mate; and thus, for want of due caution, many frustrate the hopes of
their owners in the desired breed; and many others meet their death by
becoming lined by a dog so extremely disproportionate in size that the
mothers are found unable to bring forth. Impregnation takes place
sometimes at the first copulation, in others not until the second,
third, or fourth; and in some cases it has been known, from decided
proofs, that impregnation did not ensue until the seventh warding. Dogs
should be suffered, therefore, to remain together some days to insure
prolific intercourse. It is not easy to detect whether bitches are in
pup until the fourth or fifth week after warding; about which time the
teats enlarge, the flanks fill, and the belly assumes a fulness and
rotundity unnatural to it at others. Pupping usually comes on the
sixty-second, sixty-third, or, at farthest, on the sixty-fourth day. A
quarter or half an hour, and sometimes a longer time, intervenes between
the expulsion of each fœtus.
Dogs are certainly capable of superfœtation; that is, impregnation may
take place at more than one warding, and that by distinct mates.
It would appear that this mental impression, which is perhaps usually
raised at some period of œstrum, always recurs at that period, and is so
interwoven with the organisation even, as to become a stamp or mould for
some, if not all, of her future progeny. I had a pug bitch whose
constant companion was a small and almost _white_ spaniel dog, of Lord
Rivers’ breed, of which she was very fond. When it became necessary to
separate her, on account of her heat, from this dog, and to confine her
with one of her own kind, she pined excessively; and notwithstanding her
situation, it was some time before she would admit of the attentions of
the pug dog placed with her. At length, however, she did so;
impregnation followed, and at the usual period she brought forth five
pug puppies, one of which was elegantly _white_, and more _slender_ than
the others. The spaniel was soon afterwards given away, but the
impression remained; for at two subsequent litters (which were all she
had afterwards) she presented me with a _white_ young one, which the
fanciers know to be a very rare occurrence.
The Rev. R. Lascelles, in his _Letters on Sporting_, p. 250, relates a
case of a greyhound bitch, intrusted to the care of a servant, which
whelped one perfect greyhound and six complete curs: the curs were the
likeness of the dog she domesticated with in common; the single one
resembled the greyhound she was taken to during her heat. There is
little reason, therefore, to doubt that the bitch had been previously
lined by the cur, and the single greyhound pup was the effect of
superfœtation.
Sportsmen incline to the opinion, that the male pups are more strongly
tinctured with the external form of the father than of the mother, and
_vice versâ_; but though instances may occur to favour such a
conclusion, it is not a uniform occurrence.—_Blaine._
BITE, _v._ To crush or pierce with the teeth; to cut, or wound.
BITE, _s._ The seizure of anything by the teeth; the act of a fish
that takes the bait; a cheat, a sharper.
BITTERN; BOG BUMPER; BITTERN BUM, or MIRE DRUM; (_Ardea Stellaris_,
LINN.; _Le Buton_, BUFF.) _s._ A bird with long legs, which
feeds upon fish.
[Illustration]
The bittern is nearly as large as the common heron; its legs are
stronger, body more plump and fleshy, and its neck is more thickly
clothed with feathers. The beak is strong at the base; straight, sharp
on the edges, and gradually tapers to an acute point; the upper mandible
is brown, the under inclining to green; the mouth is wide, the gape
extending beyond the eyes, with a dusky patch at each angle: the irides
are yellow. The crown of the head is somewhat depressed, and covered
with long black feathers; the throat is yellowish white; the sides of
the neck pale rust colour, variegated with black, in spotted, waved, and
narrow transverse lines, and on the forepart the ground colour is
whitish, and the feathers fall down in less broken and darker lengthened
stripes. These neck-feathers, which it can raise and depress at
pleasure, are long and loose, and, inclining backwards, cover the neck
behind; those below them, on the breast to the thighs, are streaked
lengthwise with black, edged with yellowish white: the thighs, belly,
and vent, are of a dull pale yellow, clouded with dingy brown. The
plumage on the back and wings is marked with black zigzag lines, bars,
and streaks, upon a ground shaded with rust colour and yellow. The
bastard wings, greater coverts, and quills, are brown, barred with
black. The tail, which consists only of ten feathers, is very short; the
legs are of a pale green, bare a little above the knees; the claws,
particularly those on the hind toes, are long and sharp, the middle ones
serrated.
The female is less than the male; her plumage is darker, and the
feathers on her head, breast, and neck, are shorter, and the colours not
so distinctly marked. She makes an artless nest, composed chiefly of the
withered stalks and leaves of the high coarse herbage, in the midst of
which it is placed, and lays from four to six eggs, of a greenish white
colour.
The bittern is a shy solitary bird; it is never seen on the wing in the
day time, but sits, commonly with the head erect, hid among the reeds
and rushes in the marshes, where it always takes up its abode, and from
whence it will not stir, unless it is disturbed by the sportsman. When
it changes its haunts, it removes in the dusk of the evening, and then
rising in a spiral direction, soars to a vast height. It flies in the
same heavy manner as the heron, and might be mistaken for that bird,
were it not for the singularly resounding cry which it utters from time
to time while on the wing; but this cry is feeble when compared to the
hollow booming noise which it makes during the night time, in the
breeding season, from its swampy retreat.
The bittern, when attacked by the buzzard, or other birds of prey,
defends itself with great courage, and generally beats off such
assailants; neither does it betray any symptoms of fear, when wounded by
the sportsman, but eyes him with a keen undaunted look, and, when driven
to extremity, will attack him with the utmost vigour, wounding his legs,
or aiming at his eyes with its sharp and piercing bill. It was formerly
held in much estimation at the tables of the great, and is again
recovering its credit as a fashionable dish.
* * * * *
The Little Bittern, (_Ardea Minuta_, LINN. _Le Blongois_, BUF.) in size
is not much larger than the throstle, measuring only about fifteen
inches in length. From the corners of the mouth, a black stroke extends
across the under side of the cheeks; and a patch of black, glossed with
green and edged with chestnut, covers the crown of its head. On the
back, rump, and scapulars, the feathers are dark brown, edged with pale
rusty coloured red; the sides of the neck, and the breast are of the
same colours, but the brown on the middle of each feather is in narrower
streaks. The belly is white: the hinder part of the neck is bare, but
the long feathers on the forepart lie back and cover it. The tail is
short, and of a black green colour, edged and tipped with tawny: the
legs dirty green. The little bittern has seldom been met with in Great
Britain.
The above drawing and description were taken from an ill-stuffed
specimen in the Wycliffe Museum.—_Bewick._
BITUMEN, _s._ A fat unctuous matter dug out of the earth, or scummed
off lakes.
BLACK, _a._ Of the colour of night; dark.
BLACK, _s._ A black colour; mourning.
_To dye a good black._—First make your stuff a very dark blue: then make
a very strong dye of strawall and walnut bark; boil the wool in this for
six hours. Take out the stuff, and clean out the dye-pot, and make a
fresh dye of _strawall_, _logwood dust_, or a good quantity of _chips_,
with some _madder_ and _Brazil dust_: boil in this two hours, and pour
off your liquor. Clean your pot, and put in liquor again with the stuff,
and when hot, pour in a quart of _urine_, at least eight days’ old, and
boil in this half an hour. Having dissolved in some of the boiling
liquor the size of a hazel-nut of copperas, lift out your stuff, and
pour in this liquor—boil it well, and all is done. If any brown or
purple should appear between you and the light, put down some clean
water, and boil it, adding to it one, two, or three tea spoonfuls of
_salt of tartar_, and throw in your stuff for a few minutes. This is a
long way for black dyeing, but the best for fishing. Let your dye-pot be
large, or it will run over when you add the copperas; keep your dye-pot
constantly full of water.—_Ancient Recipe._
BLACKBIRD, _s._ The name of a bird.
[Illustration]
The length of the blackbird, or ouzel, (_Turdus Merula_, LINN.—_Le
Merle_, BUFF.) is generally about ten inches. Its plumage is altogether
black; the bill, inside of the mouth, and edges of the eye-lids, are
yellow, as are also the soles of the feet; the legs are of a dirty
yellow. The female is mostly brown, inclining to rust colour on the
breast and belly; the bill is dusky, and the legs brown; its song is
also very different, so that it has sometimes been mistaken for a bird
of a different species.
The males, during the first year, resemble the females so much, as not
easily to be distinguished from them; but, after that, they assume the
yellow bill, and other distinguishing marks of their kind. The blackbird
is a solitary bird, frequenting woods and thickets, chiefly of
evergreens, such as holly, pines, firs, &c., especially where there are
perennial springs, which together afford it both shelter and
subsistence. Wild blackbirds feed on berries, fruits, insects, and
worms; they never fly in flocks like thrushes; they pair early, and
begin to warble nearly as soon as any other of the songsters of the
grove.
The female builds her nest in bushes, or low trees, and lays four or
five eggs, of a bluish green colour, marked irregularly with dusky
spots. The young birds are easily brought up tame, and may be taught to
whistle a variety of tunes; for which their clear, loud, and melodious
tones are well adapted. They are restless and timorous birds, easily
alarmed, and difficult of access. But Buffon observes, that, “they are
more restless than cunning, and more timorous than suspicious, as they
readily suffer themselves to be caught with bird-lime, nooses, and all
sorts of snares.” They are never kept in aviaries; for, when shut up
with other birds, they pursue and harass their companions in slavery
unceasingly: for which reason they are generally confined in cages
apart. In some counties of England, this bird is called simply the
Ouzel.—_Bewick._
BLACKCAP, _s._ A small singing bird.
BLACK COCK, _s._ (_Tetrao tetrix_, LINN.) Known also as the
heath-cock and heath-poult.
This species sometimes weighs as much as four pounds; length about
twenty-three inches, bill dusky, irides hazel; the head, neck, and whole
body, are of glossy blue-black, particularly about the neck, breast, and
rump; over the eye the bare scarlet skin is granulated; the coverts of
the wings dusky brown, the four first quill feathers black, the next
white at the bottom, the lower half and tips of the secondaries white,
under wing coverts white; the thighs are dark brown, sometimes marked
with a few white spots; the tail consists of sixteen black feathers; the
exterior ones bend outwards, and are much longer than those in the
middle, which makes the tail very forked; the under tail coverts pure
white; legs covered with hair-like feathers of a dark brown, speckled
with grey; toes pectinated.
The female weighs about two pounds; the plumage is very different from
that of the male; the general colour is ferruginous, barred and mottled,
with black above, the under parts paler, with dusky and brown bars; the
tail-feathers are straight and even at the end, variegated with
ferruginous and black.
The black grous is at present confined to the more northern parts of
this kingdom, population and culture having driven them from the south,
except in a few of the more wild, uncultivated parts; in the New Forest
in Hampshire, Dartmoor and Sedgmoor in Devonshire, and the heathy hills
in Somersetshire, contiguous to the latter. It is also found in
Staffordshire, and in North Wales, and again in the North of England;
but no where so plentiful as in some parts of the highlands of Scotland.
The males are polygamous, and fight desperately for the females.
In the month of April the male places himself on an eminence as soon as
it is light in the morning, crows and claps his wings, on which the
females resort to his station. After the courting season the males
associate peaceably together, in small packs; are fond of woody, heathy
and mountainous situations; but will occasionally visit the corn-fields
in the autumn, retiring almost wholly to the woods in the winter, and
perching on trees.
The female lays six or seven dirty-white eggs, blotched with
rust-colour, about the size of those of a pheasant. These are deposited
amongst the highest heath, without much appearance of a nest.
The young follow the female for some time. The males are scarcely
distinguishable from the other sex till they are above half grown, when
the black feathers begin to appear first about the sides and breast.
Their food is chiefly the tops of heath and birch, except when the
mountain berries are ripe, at which time they devour bilberries and
cranberries most voraciously.
A supposed hybrid bird of this species has been described under the
following synonimes:—
Tetrao Hybridus, Tetra Tetrix, Spurious Grous.
This bird has been described by Linnæus and others as a distinct
species, or mixed breed between the black and wood grous. It is said to
differ from the black grous in having reddish spots on the neck, breast,
wings, and thighs, and in being of a superior size. It is said to have
been formerly met with in Scotland.—_Montagu._
BLACK-TAIL, _s._ The ruff or pope; a small fish.
BLADDER, _s._ That vessel in the body which contains the urine; a
blister, a pustule.
BLADE, _s._ The spire of grass; the green shoots of corn. The sharp
or striking part of a weapon or instrument.
BLADEBONE, _s._ The scapula, or scapular bone.
BLADED, _a._ Having blades or spines.
BLAIN, _s._ A pustule, a blister.
BLANK, _s._ A void space.
BLANK-DAY, _s._ A sporting term, used when a cover is drawn without
success. It is also applied when shooters are kept in-doors by
severity of weather, tired dogs, &c.
BLAY, _s._ A small whitish river-fish; a bleak.
BLAZE, _s._ A flame, the light of the flame; a white mark upon a
horse.
BLAZE, _v._ To blazon; to inflame; to fire.
BLEAK, _s._ A small river fish.
[Illustration]
The bleak is seldom more than six inches long; the head is small, and
the skull transparent; the eyes are large, with a blood coloured spot on
the lower side; the irides of a pale yellow; the under jaw the longest;
the gills silvery; the body is slender, greatly compressed sideways, not
unlike that of the sprat: the back is green; the sides and belly
silvery; the fins pellucid; the lateral line rather crooked; the scales
are large, and fall off very easily; the tail is much forked.
Some call the bleak the water swallow, on account of its nimbleness in
catching flies; they are very restless, their haunts being sometimes in
deep still water, at the sides and tails of streams, where the water
shelves off, and makes a gentle eddy; at others in the streams, which
may be observed by their swimming near the surface, and their very
active manner of taking and diverting themselves with small flies, and
insects. In angling for the bleak, the tackle must be very fine, with
four or five small hooks, so placed above each other as not to entangle,
and swimming by the assistance of a small quill float, rather deeper
than mid-water, and baited variously, as with a gentle, bloodworm,
caddis, the house-fly, (or any fly they are observed at the moment to
feed upon,) and a very small bit of red paste, throwing in now and then
some malt grains, or chewed bread, to keep them together; always
remembering, wherever ground bait is used, it should be inferior to the
hook-baits: thus two or three at a time may be taken, for they are so
eager as to leap out of the water at the bait. Should the day be cold
and cloudy, a single gentle, or cadis, upon the hook is then best, sunk
about two foot under water.
Another way of taking bleak is by whipping from a boat, or the bank-side
in fresh streams, with a rod six feet, and a line twice as long, using
an artificial black gnat, a fly of a very sad brown colour, or the small
dace-flies; they not only yield much sport, but are very instructive to
the young fly-fisher.—_Daniel._
BLEED, _v._ To lose blood; to run with blood; to drop as blood; to
let blood.
_Bleeding._—This operation is frequently required in the diseases of
horses; and if employed seasonably, and to a sufficient extent, is the
most efficacious remedy we are acquainted with. When a horse appears
dull and heavy, and indifferent about his food, by bleeding we often
prevent a fever. If a horse is bled at the commencement of a cold, the
complaint generally proves moderate, and of short continuance. In all
cases of internal inflammation, or symptomatic fever, bleeding is the
most essential remedy, provided the operation be performed at an early
period, and the blood drawn in sufficient quantity. In such cases I have
often taken away six quarts or more, and repeated the operation the same
or the following day when it appeared necessary. By bleeding copiously
at first, those formidable diseases are crushed at once; while by
suffering them to proceed or become at all violent, which they will do
unless this practice is adopted (or if only a small quantity of blood is
drawn), they generally prove fatal: nor will bleeding then be of any
service.
Bleeding is either general or local: that is, it is done either so as to
affect the system in general, or a particular part only. For general
bleeding, the jugular or neck vein is most convenient.
When the vein is firmly pressed with the fingers of the left hand, the
blood is prevented from descending, and that part of the vein which is
above the fingers is considerably distended, and becomes very
conspicuous. In this state it may be easily opened with a lancet held in
the right hand. The vein will continue to bleed as long as the pressure
below is continued.
Farriers bleed with a _fleam_, which, though apparently a clumsy method
of operating, is certainly safer than the lancet in unskilful hands. In
topical bleeding, a vein is chosen as near as possible to the affected
part, or the vessels covering the part are opened: in the inflammation
of the eye, for example, it is done by scarifying the inner surface of
the eyelid, or by opening a small vein which is easily seen going from
the inner corner of the eye towards the nose. I do not think, however,
that either of these operations do any good; indeed that of scarifying
the eyelids is often, I believe, injurious.
A graduated tin vessel, capable of containing six or seven quarts, is
very convenient for the purpose of receiving the blood; every pint being
marked on the inside of the vessel, so that the quantity of blood that
is taken off may be exactly known. The blood should always be preserved,
that we may judge from its appearance of the nature of the disease, and
whether it is proper or not to repeat the operation. When it continues
fluid a considerable time, it denotes an inflammatory state of the
system. Should a whitish or light buff-coloured jelly appear on its
surface, after it has coagulated or settled, and should this jelly be of
considerable thickness, rather firm, not easily penetrated by the
finger, we may be satisfied that the horse’s complaint is inflammatory;
that bleeding was a proper remedy; and that, if the symptoms continue,
the operation may be repeated with advantage: but if the blood
coagulates quickly, is uniformly of a dark liver colour, loose and
easily broken, with a considerable quantity of water upon its surface,
it denotes debility, and shows that the disease arises from a weakness
of the system; that instead of _bleeding_, _tonic_ and _cordial_
medicines are to be employed, with every thing that may tend to restore
the animal’s strength.
In order to judge correctly by the appearance of the blood, it should be
drawn from a large orifice, and not suffered to run down the sides of
the vessel which receives it. The first quantity that is drawn should be
put aside for examination, and not shaken or disturbed in any way until
it has perfectly coagulated.
When bleeding is employed as a preventive, or in any slight complaints,
from two to three quarts may be taken off, according to the horse’s
strength and condition; but in cases of internal inflammation, or fever,
a more copious evacuation is necessary.
When horses are taken from camp or grass, and put into warm stables,
they are very subject to inflammatory complaints and dangerous fevers:
under those circumstances, moderate bleeding now and then will prevent
such diseases. Horses that are getting into condition, as it is termed,
are liable to similar disorders, unless moderate bleeding is
occasionally employed. I am inclined to believe, however, that it is a
bad practice to bleed often upon trifling occasions; it is liable to
induce a plethora or fulness of habit, whereby a horse is rendered more
susceptible of disease than he would otherwise be. Moderate purging and
regular exercise, with a proper regulation of diet and temperature, are
fully adequate to the prevention of disease on those occasions; but
these are too often neglected.
It has been asserted that it is seldom necessary to pin up the orifice,
which is made in the skin by bleeding. I grant there is not often any
danger to be apprehended from its bleeding again; but unless it is
pinned up, that is, unless the lips of the wound are brought into
contact, and kept in that situation, by passing a pin through the edges
of the skin, and twisting a little tow round it, as is generally done by
farriers, inflammation and swelling will sometimes take place in the
wound, and matter will form in consequence. The fleam has been found
upon many occasions, particularly for opening the neck vein, a better
instrument than the lancet; the latter makes an orifice in the skin,
scarcely larger than the vein; and as the horse is generally a little
restless, the blood soon gets between the skin and the vein, plugging up
the orifice in the latter, and sometimes diffusing itself in the
cellular membrane, so as to cause a swelling. The lancet, however, in
skilful hands is a neater method, and more convenient for horses that
are very shy and difficult to be bled in the common way.
* * * * *
Dogs may be conveniently bled by the jugular or neck vein, with a fleam,
or with a common lancet; but the latter is much preferable. A ligature
being put round the lower part of the neck, and the head being held up,
the vein will swell and protrude itself on each side of the windpipe,
about one inch from it. It will, however, be necessary previously to cut
the hair away, if it be very thick; after which, the puncture can be
easily made with a lancet, the operator leaning over the dog. Nothing is
necessary, in general cases, to stop the bleeding, but to remove the
ligature; nor is any pin, plaister, or bandage, requisite for the
orifice. When circumstances such as the want of a regular operator, or
when the amateur is called on to deplete his own dog suddenly, as in the
field, when the means of venesection by the neck are not at hand; in any
such case the ear may be punctured, or an incision may be made on the
inner side of the flap of it, choosing, if possible, the course of a
vein for the puncture, but avoid passing the instrument through the ear.
Or the tail may be cut in desperate cases; but, when this is done, it is
better to cut off a small piece than to merely make an incision
underneath; for I have seen, when this has been injudiciously done, the
whole tail in a state of mortification.
The quantity of blood drawn should be regulated by the size of the dog:
for a very small dog, one or two ounces are sufficient; for a middling
sized dog, three or four ounces; and for a large dog, five, six, seven,
or eight ounces, according to the size and strength of the patient, and
the nature of the disease he labours under.—_White._—_Blaine._
BLEMISH, _v._ To mark with any deformity; to tarnish.
BLEMISH, _s._ A mark of deformity, a scar.
BLIGHT, _s._ Mildew; anything nipping or blasting.
BLIND, _a._ Without sight, dark; a sconce.
BLINDNESS, _s._ Want of sight; ignorance.
BLINK, _v._ To wink; to see obscurely. A dog is termed _blinked_
when rendered useless in the field, from timidity occasioned by
alarming him by a shot, severity, or other ill-usage.
BLISTER, _s._ A pustule formed by raising the cuticle from the
cutis; any swelling made by the separation of a film or skin
from the other parts.
Blisters are medicines that inflame the skin, and cause watery bladders
to rise upon its surface: the most useful of this kind is the cantharis,
or Spanish fly, (_lytta vesicatoria_) which forms the principal
ingredient in all our blisters. There are others, however, which are
generally mixed with it as auxiliaries; as hellebore, euphorbium,
turpentine, and sublimate.
Blisters are much used in veterinary medicine, and are extremely
efficacious in dispersing callous swellings, the consequence of strains,
bruises, &c.
In inflammation of parts remote from the surface, they are of great
service. When the internal parts of the foot are inflamed, relief is
generally obtained by blistering the pastern, provided the subordinate
or auxiliary remedies are not omitted, such as paring the sole, soaking
the horny part of the foot in warm water, or applying a poultice to it,
and giving a dose of physic. When the lungs are inflamed, blistering the
sides freely is an excellent remedy, especially when we feel doubtful as
to the propriety of further bleeding.
Blistering is employed also for curbs, windgalls, spavins, &c.
Broken knees, unless skilfully treated, leave a callous swelling on the
part; for the removal of which, blistering is employed. When blisters
are properly made, and free from any caustic ingredients, such as
sublimate, vitriolic acid, &c., there is no danger of destroying the
hair; and if the first blistering does not prove effectual, it may be
repeated until the desired effect is produced.
Before a blister is applied, the hair should be closely cut off, or even
shaved off, if the situation of the diseased part will admit of its
being done without wounding the skin; but good scissors, or shears, if
skilfully used, will answer the purpose sufficiently. If the skin is
scurfy it may be washed with flannel, soap, and warm water, and be made
perfectly dry before the blister is applied. Blisters are generally
employed in the form of ointment, but on some occasions they are
preferred of a thinner consistence, or in the form of liniment, or even
still thinner or more fluid, and are then named liquid blisters. Though
a variety of ingredients are used in blisters, the cantharis or Spanish
fly is the best; and if not injured by long keeping, or adulterated, is
the only blistering ingredient required for common purposes.
The following formulæ are recommended by Mr. White.