Diseases. 1 4 1 



I had been in the habit, for some time previous to this, of 

 giving my birds hemp seed ad libitum, but as soon as 1 

 received the letter already quoted I set to work to make 

 experiments, in order to test the accuracy of the opinion I 

 had received, and the idea I had formed, the result of which 

 leaves no doubt whatever in my mind that the hemp seed 

 was chiefly, if not solely the cause of all the mischief. Two 

 of the birds I experimented upon recovered, after a severe 

 attack of this complaint, the disease having yielded to the 

 remedies used, whilst three others succumbed, and, upon 

 being opened and carefully examined, their condition was 

 precisely as described by Dr. B. From that time I ceased 

 to give my birds hemp seed, and have not had a single case 

 of hepatitis since. 



Inflammation of the liver is of two kinds the acute and 

 the chronic ; when of the former type it makes rapid progress, 

 unless it is immediately dealt with. Depletion (blood-letting) 

 is one of the first things resorted to in cases of hepatitis 

 in regular practice, but this operation is out of the question 

 entirely with such diminutive patients as canaries. Never- 

 theless, I am such a thorough believer in phlebotomy in all 

 cases where internal inflammation exists, that I generally pull 

 a couple of the largest flight feathers from each wing of the 

 bird, as well as a few of the tail feathers, and, although 

 you seldom draw much blood with performing this operation, 

 I am disposed to think that it does good. At the commence- 

 ment of this disease the bird droops, and looks lumpy and 

 fretful and restless, and when suffering from the acute form 

 there is generally a considerable amount of feverishness. The 

 bird appears to perspire very much, is very hot in the body, 

 particularly restless, and appears in search of something it 

 fails to find. When, however, this disease makes its appear- 

 ance in the chronic form, the symptoms are developed more 

 gradually and with less violence, but for all that it is quite 

 as difficult of cure. The treatment pursued by me, and with 

 tolerable success, is as follows : Give, first, hydrarg. (hydrar- 

 gyrum) cum creta (mercury with chalk) and James' Powder 



