338 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1941 



developed and described by Dr. Charles K. Shroeder and Karl R. 

 Koch.® Persons attempting to use this method should be certain that 

 they sever the proper tendon, for otherwise the birds are not rendered 

 flightless. 



In some regions flies {Stomoxys calcitrant) persistently bite the 

 ears of dogs, wolves, coyotes, and foxes. If the animals cannot get 

 into a dark den away from the insects, it is well to saturate a cloth 

 with a mixture of 10 parts kerosene, 1 part pine creosote, 1 part tur- 

 pentine, and 1 part oil of murbane, and hang it at such a location that 

 the animal will rub its ears on it as it walks about the cage, or spray 

 the animal lightly and the cage heavily with this solution, or some 

 other that will keep the flies away. Tar put on the edges of the 

 ears has a beneficial effect in preventing fly injury. 



Some animal keepers have placed quinine in the drinking water 

 of ailing animals even though there was no specific diagnosis to show 

 that quinine was desirable. However, there is no evidence that 

 quinine is useful in the treatment of animal ailments in general. 

 On the contrary, pure palatable drinking water is known to be of 

 great value. Therefore, the indiscriminate dosing with quinine is 

 mentioned only to discourage the practice. 



Apparently it is essential that the females of some animals eat the 

 placenta or afterbirth in order to start their milk flow. Many animals 

 do this. 



SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CARE OF ANIIVIALS 



The greatly abridged information that follows relative to the care 

 of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, is presented to help 

 inexperienced persons in caring for the animals that may fall into 

 their hands. The order of arrangement in each of the groups follows 

 a more or less widely accepted scheme of scientific classification, each 

 group starting with the lowest or least specialized, and going to the 

 highest or most specialized. 



In the case of animals that are more or less regularly kept in cap- 

 tivity or that are known to have been successfully kept, the instruc- 

 tions are specific and very abridged. In the case of those that are 

 not known to have been kept in captivity, or only rarely or with poor 

 results, information will be given about their known habits in the 

 wild in the hope that this may furnish clues to successful handling. 



MONOTEEMES : EGG LAYERS ( MONOTREMATA ) 



ECHIDNAS or SPINY ANTBATERS (Echidnidae). Primitive burrowing, egg- 

 laying mammals, inhabitants of Australia and Tasmania. Feed mainly on 



» Journ. Amor. Vet. Med. Assoc, vol. 97, No. 761, pp. 169-170, August 1940. 



