74 BRITISH BIRDS. 



the length and course of the disease. The Pigeons 

 inoculated were a wild Wood-Pigeon and a blue " racer." 



In both, the inside of the throat was pricked, and some 

 " membrane " from a Pigeon dead of the disease was 

 rubbed on. The next day both had contracted the disease, 

 as manifested by a white spot the size of a pin's head, 

 the neighbouring parts being reddened. These spots 

 remained apparently of the same size for about five days, 

 the birds feeding and looking well, but at the end of a week, 

 whereas the patch in the Wood-Pigeon had noticeably in- 

 creased, that in the blue "racer" had noticeably decreased, 

 and by the next day had entirely gone, and the tem- 

 perature of this bird, which had risen from 104.8° P. 

 (normal) to 107° F. during the period of infection, dropped 

 again to its normal. The Wood-Pigeon's temperature, on 

 the other hand (whose normal temperature is 108°), went 

 up to and remained between 109° and 110° F. At the end 

 of ten days the patch was greatly increased, and by twelve 

 days it had extended across the middle of the throat. 

 The Pigeon still ate peas and corn fairly well, and kept 

 in good feather, but was much thinner. The patch 

 continued to groAv, and towards the end of the third week 

 it had almost blocked the gullet, though it left the wind- 

 pipe free. At this time it did not feed so well, and its 

 temperature fell to several degrees below normal, and 

 remained so until it died on the twenty-first day of the 

 disease. 



The recovery of the blue " racer," after taking the 

 disease, is worthy of note, though from a single obser- 

 vation it could not be said that the disease cannot be 

 fatal to it, though it suggests that it has a better 

 resisting power than has the Wood-Pigeon. 



V. — Relation to Food Supply. — The idea amongst 

 gamekeepers, as well as amongst other people, was that 

 the disease was caused by the food supply. Of course, he 

 of the beech woods said it was due to the excess of beech- 

 mast, whilst he of the oak was equally confident that it 

 was due to the plentiful supply of acorns, and they both 



