207 



lEDitorial. 



AN EPIDEMIC AMONG BUDGERIGARS :— I 

 have lately examined a dead bird of this species, sent 

 to me by Miss Little, which had died of enteritis. 

 The history of the case is so instructive that it seems 

 advisable to make a special note of it. 



After doing remarkably well for the first part of 

 the season, the birds began to die off, starting with the 

 young ones, at the rate of sometimes three or four a 

 day. Before death "their breast bones became very 

 " sharp as though they had been starved," and up to the 

 time of this one's death (Oct. 5th) over three-fifths of 

 the entire stock had died, leaving only twenty alive. 



The owner stated that they were fed on " white 

 ^' millet, canary seed, and a few oats, all from a good 

 -"place, and the rest of my foreign birds have the 

 "same seed and are all right." Chickweed, &c. was 

 also given and their lodgement was in an outdoor 

 aviary. 



So far everything seems to have been correct as to 

 their treatment, and the one thing that requires ex- 

 planation is why these birds should have become thin, 

 {betokening more or less chronic ilhiess), and died in 

 such alarming numbers while the rest of the birds 

 remained well. The clue is obtained when we learn 

 further on that when feeding the young they also had 

 " soaked bread and water, the bread squeezed out 

 "almost dry" and the reason for the epidemic of 

 " summer diarrhoea," (for that is the popular name for 

 septic enteritis), becomes apparent. I have repeatedly 

 investigated epidemics of this nature among Budgeri- 



