1913.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 135 



numbers of ova, were in good feather. Others showed symptoms like 

 any sick bird — feathers ruffled, head hung down, eyes closed. 

 Several cases, however, showed suggestive symptoms. They extended 

 the neck as though attempting to vomit. A macaw passed a frothy 

 material from the mouth. Another bird which did not have pneu- 

 monia emitted a wheezing sound. Some of the birds produced 

 droppings in larger quantity than their mates, and where these 

 contained mucus, as they often do, we have foretold infestation. 

 But these signs were so inconstant that laboratory chagnosis became 

 necessary. 



The only avenues to diagnosis would seem to be the blood, urine, 

 droppings, stomach contents, and temperature. Some time has been 

 spent investigating the blood, but so many technical difficulties 

 arose and so much time was required that this means was abandoned. 



Experiments were also performed toward the production of emesis 

 and the recovery of the worms in the vomitus. Preliminary experi- 

 ments on pigeons were successful. One-tenth of a grain of apomor- 

 phine hypodermically caused regurgitation of food. This was 

 probably only from the crop, as no stones accompanied the grain. 

 An amazon received one-fifth of a grain of apomorphine hypo- 

 dermically. Excited talking, laughter, and some dizziness resulted, 

 but no emesis. 



An attempt was then made to draw out the proventricular con- 

 tents mechanically. This failed, as a small catheter used as a stom- 

 ach-tube could be introduced only as far as the crop, as demonstrated 

 upon a dead parrot. 



The urine is evidently useless for diagnosis when we consider 

 the anatomy of the avian excretory apparatus. Temperature 

 determinations would require manipulations which the smaller birds 

 could not stand. 



The droppings remain as our sole means of diagnosis. The parasitic 

 ova are not easily found. The excreta of birds contain more waste than 

 human dejecta, where everything is generally in a finely granular 

 condition. The droppings are laden with such quantities of vegetable 

 cells, colored by chlorophyl, that they quite hide the ova unless the 

 latter are in such great numbers as not to be lost by high dilutions. 

 Efforts to dissolve this foreign matter have been ineffectual. It 

 was not digested by pancreatin overnight in an incubator. Boil- 

 ing with antiformin, while ineffective, broke up the cloddy particles 

 of the droppings, clarified the vegetable cells, and dissolved the 

 mucus and urates. Much of the chlorophyl was extracted. Our 



