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classification, but their life history has yet to be 

 properly worked out. Perhaps now that it is begin- 

 ning to be recognised that birds as well as other 

 animals should participate in the benefits conferred by 

 science, it may reasonably be hoped that some of 

 our competent workers may throw themselves into 

 this domain of original research, where I can assure 

 them they will find plenty to reward them for their 

 trouble. 



Turning now to the vegetable parasites we find 

 (i) that they belong to the Thallophytes, i.e. they are 

 plants in which the leaf and stem are all in one, 

 and (2) that possessing no chlorophyll (or green 

 colouring-matter) they fall into the class of Fimgi. 

 These fungi again resolve themselves into three sub- 

 classes — Yeasts, Moulds, and Bacteria. In the present 

 state of our knowledge the first of these three are 

 unimportant to our subject, while the second are to 

 be looked for in their several forms as the probable 

 causes of some of those symptoms connected with 

 the skin and its appendages that are at present 

 accounted for according to the cognoscenti by that 

 wonderful and mysterious disease called ''surfeit," 

 the pathology of which I regret to say has not yet 

 been advanced by those who, being responsible for 

 the name, are of course quite able to explain all about 

 it. In connection with this second group of parasites 

 there is again an opportunity for research offering 

 itself to enthusiasts in comparative pathology at the 

 expense of very little trouble compared with that 

 involved in the pursuit of the organisms comprised in 

 our third section —Bacteria. These, with which alone 

 we are now concerned, are technically known as 

 Schizornycetes or Fission -Fungi, and are so named 

 from their characteristic method of propagation, 

 which is by fission or division at right angles to 

 their length. Occasionally however they multiply by 



