412 



General Notes. 



TAuk 

 Loct. 



A Broken Pigeon's Leg that Healed Itself. — The accompanying sketch 

 shows a remarkable case of healing in a Pigeon's {Columba) leg. After 

 the removal of the feathers, the tibia was seen to have been broken, 

 and its sharp end pushed out through the flesh. The leg, however, was 

 perfectly strong, though nearly half an inch shorter than the other. The 

 protruding bone was in an advanced stage of decay, but the surrounding 

 wound was perfectly healthy. 



It was evident after removing the flesh that the protruding portion of 

 the tibia would have soon dropped off, with the wound entirely healed, 



'' 6. 





Leg of Pigeon (Columba), showing healed fracture. 



i. Leg with the feathers removed ; 2, leg with the flesh removed ; 3 de- 

 caying bone ; 4, end of the tibia protruding through the flesh ; x, point 

 where knitting took place; 5, fibula; 6, original length of the leg. 



which would have left from the exterior little indication of the broken 

 limb. The slight swelling on the anterior edge of the bone alone would 

 have suggested a fracture beneath. In the region of the healing the 

 periosteum was perfectly smooth, continuous, and sound. 



