' I07 



Clarke, different animal Septicaemias in general had 

 been noticed and described by others, it was he who 

 first studied and worked out the pathology of the 

 disease in birds. This he did in its entirety ; its 

 histological characters, the similarity or identity of 

 its bacillus with that found in putrefying egg, the 

 manner of its production, the infection and inoculation 

 with it of previously healthy birds, both domestic and 

 wild, its characters when transmitted to rodents, the 

 effects of drugs both on cultures and on living birds, 

 all these points and others, constituting a long and 

 laborious original research, were established by him 

 years before I had the pleasure and advantage of his 

 friendship, as will be seen by my numerous quotations 

 and references thereto in the "Story of Bird-Death." 

 When, having my attention drawn by an allusion in 

 the press to his work, I made his acquaintance, he 

 was good enough to place at my disposal the stores of 

 material and evidence he had accumulated, and both 

 then and since has given me every help in his power, 

 with the result that during my search for tuberculosis, 

 I have found nothing but a verification of his con- 

 clusions. That, and the missionary work among 

 aviculturists which has aroused such mixed expres- 

 sions of feeling, is my connection with the subject, 

 and so far I hold myself identified with it. 



As regards the value of fresh air and aseptic con- 

 ditions :— there again I lay no claim to originality. 

 That " fresh air is of more importance to birds than 

 " warmth has long been known to most aviculturists " 

 is perfectly true, — as the Editor of T/ie Avicidhiral 

 Mao-a2i7ie tells us. It was— I am sure— known to 

 most intelligent aviculturists long before I began 



