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as a rose from a dais3\ Bird fever and bird, plague 

 are synoiiyiiis for septic fever. But what on earth is 

 contagious tuberculosis? Tuberculosis is infectious. 

 The bacilli are conve^^ed in the expectoration, when 

 this dries they are carried by the air to the mucous 

 membrane of susceptible individuals, where they 

 grow and set up disease. But "contagious" implies 

 that a disease is conveyed b}^ direct conlact, a diseased 

 surface is brought into direct contact with a healthy 

 one and infects it. How^ often do we see general and 

 fatal tuberculosis conveyed like this? And if birds 

 do suffer from it how can they convey it in that way ? 



But the most remarkable case is that of "the 

 " eye-marked hen. This is a very interesting and 

 " unusual case." (Indeed we must hope so !) " It has 

 ^' been stated on good authority that Canaries are 

 " liable to contract every disease that affects humanit}^ 

 ^' But be this as it may, we feel convinced your bird 

 ■" had small pox (!) or some equally malignant skin 

 "disease" (what can that be?); "the odour, the 

 ^' sloughing away of the skin, the yellow pustules, 

 " all indicate small pox." " Angels and ministers of 

 grace, defend us ! " Surel}^ it is high time that the 

 vaccination act was extended to cage birds ; to think, 

 with all our precautions, that we have overlooked 

 such a hotbed of infection in our midst! and then to 

 think of our pet Canary as " a conscientious objector " 

 — it would be worse than small pox ; but perhaps this 

 role will be reserved for the London Sparrow, who 

 seems well suited to it. 



But these medical mares' nests are not confined 

 to the journals. Here is a sentence I came across the 

 other day in the preface to a popular work on birds : 

 " I have not found it necessary to rewrite my intro- 

 " duction, nor to insert a chapter on the diseases of 

 " birds. Whilst I alwa3^s recommend remedies to be 

 " used, and frequently use them nn-self, I am con- 



