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of the vagus nerve, an important nerve supplying the 

 lungs, heart, and stomach ; when this nerve becomes 

 deranged and excessively irritable, as it does in true 

 asthma, slight disorders of the stomach, lungs, or 

 heart may set up reflex spasms of the bronchial 

 muscles, and while this lasts, which may be a very 

 short time, wheezing and difficult breathing are 

 present. But neither the morbid condition of the 

 nerve, nor the affections of the heart or stomach 

 which excite it, are in the slightest degree infectious. 

 Here in a few sentences culled at random we have 

 cage birds credited with contagious tuberculosis, 

 infectious asthma, typhus, anthrax, small pox, and 

 last but not least there is that undefeated bird who 

 having sought death in vain by various avenues open 

 to his own species and men and beasts, in his own 

 quiet and effective way, laying no violent and illicit 

 claw upon the vital spark, solves the problem and 

 discomfits the last enemy not by the usual futile 

 resistance to his overwhelming advance but by 

 compelling his hesitating and reluctant attentions. 

 The simplicity of the prescription is captivating. 

 P'ull directions for all suicidal dicky birds are these — 

 Decide to die, and do it independently of all disease. 



I note a little further on that the reader is warned 

 of the dangerous qualities of glycerine, and wonder 

 how this medicament can have earned such a sinister 

 and, I think, unmerited reputation. Is it possible 

 that "the boy" in sampling the contents of the 

 surgery mistook it for syrup and disposed of a 

 Winchester quart of it, producing a good deal of 

 discomfort at the time and a strong prejudice against 

 it ever since? Touching the subject of drugs, I 

 cannot let this opportunity pass without saying that 

 recommendations for their administration to birds 

 are with few exceptions worse than futile. The most 

 common suggestion is to put a few drops of something 



