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longings, and that we are debarred from the adoption 

 of Nature's own cure, the real " simple cure," by the 

 obscurantism of the very persons who would fain be 

 regarded as inspired authorities on both physiology 

 and pathology, we are perforce driven to fall back as 

 our sole refuge upon that which ought to be only an 

 adjunct to rational treatment. I mean Prevention. I 

 shall be met, no doubt, with the old proverb to the 

 effect that this is better than cure. True enough ; but, 

 as -we find in human diseases, diphtheria for instance 

 once more, it is good to have the cure at hand, when 

 in spite of all attempts at prevention, we have never- 

 theless fallen victims to the infection. 



Attentive readers of the foregoing pages, and of 

 my little book " The Hygiene of Bird Keeping " 

 will have gathered many hints, and indeed many 

 plainly expressed warnings, bearing upon prevention, 

 but there are a few points which it will be well to 

 mention, even if they are not altogether new. 



All newly bought birds should be placed in 

 quarantine for at least three weeks in non-infected 

 cages : strict cleanliness should be practised : paper of 

 any sort avoided as a covering for cage floors, a thick 

 layer of sand being used instead and frequently 

 changed : food and drinking water placed outside the 

 cage: moist food eschewed as much as possible, 

 especially in hot or muggy weather: the cages should 

 be when possible of the open all round variety and not 

 of the box pattern : any birds appearing thick and 

 niopey, or breathing hard, should be at once removed 

 from the society of other birds : baths supplied 

 regularly, outside the cage by preference : egg food 

 should be avoided, and care taken to prevent any kind 

 of bird food from being fouled by mice. Overcrowd- 

 ing both in cages and aviaries should be tabooed, and 

 in this connection I would specially point out that one 



