Post Mortem Reports. 127 



Have you lost any other birds? As a rule fanciers only send 

 birds for post mortem examination when they have lost several 

 or many. Post mortem examination of every bird should be made 

 as it would put fanciers' on their guard as soon as the disease 

 was detected. This disease is very prevalent in many aviaries 

 in various parts of the kingdom. There is no doubt it is spread 

 by the purchase of birds from dirty bird-shops or from infected 

 aviaries. Some shops are so filthy and the birds are so crowded 

 that they stand as an indicator to the way somie sanitary authorities 

 do their duty and to the vigilance of the E.S.P.C.A. 



It may not be considered active cruelty to keep birds 

 in a filthy, overcrowded, nai-iowly confined, or insanitary condition; 

 but it should be looked upon as passive cruelty to submit them to 

 such treatment and thus unnecessarily endanger thoir happiness and 

 •destroy their lives Ijy the thousand. Sucli an iiifiuential society as 

 the F.B.C. should take steps to put down this foi'm of cruelty. 



Tlie majority of deaths arising in unacclimatised birds ,ii-e not 

 due to contagious disease but tj auto-infection set up by misery, 

 excitement, fatigue, or exposure to inclement weather. Suscepti- 

 bility to auto-infection or infection arising from within the i)ird's 

 ■own body varies not only according to the species but also to the 

 individual. The more highly coloured the bird, especially of the 

 finch-tribe, greater the susceptibility. Easterly, or north-easterly 

 winds account for many deaths; they lower the birds' temperature 

 and upset the defensive system, and thus allow the normal microbes 

 of the intestine to gain the blood stream, to infect the body and 

 to cause death. 



Cutthroat (9). C. H. Eobinson, Yorks. Death was due 

 to pneumo-enteritis. 



Geassfinch (9). Miss Alfreda B. Smith, Calford. Cause of 

 death was pneumonia. This complaint has killed hundreds of the 

 recently imported Australian Finches. Yours, however, has been in 

 your possession since last September, and kept in an indoor aviary 

 Masked Gkassfinches (pair). W. T. Rogers, Brentwood. 

 These two birds were killed by pneumonia, which has destroyed 

 hundreds of such like birds last week. Don't purchase birds 

 when easterly winds are prevailing, especially in the spring of the 

 year. 



Hooded Siskin (cf). Miss E. F. Chawner, Hants. This bird 

 died of chronic pneumonia, and an enlarged liver. Continual artificial 

 heat or none at all is better than intermittent warming of a shelter 

 which tries the heat regulating apparatus of such a delicate bird 

 kept in confinement. There is no doubt in my mind the bird 

 caught a chill on the journey. Bird diseases are easier to prevent 

 than to cure. 



Yellow Budgerigar. (Countess von Hahn). This bird had 

 a very much enlarged liver. No doubt the abscess had something 

 to do with it. In future, when you notice such swiell'ings paint 



