136 DEATHS AX SOCIETY'S GARDENS DURING 1909. [Jail. 18, 



and fifth of the above probable causes are by far the most 

 important. With regard to the first, after every Bank Holiday 

 there are one or more deaths due to over-feeding or to unsuitable 

 food having been given to the animals. Again, in 95 out of 223 

 Reptiles there was an inflammation of greater or less extent of 

 the alimentary canal, which — as was urged last year — would seem 

 to suggest that the present unnatural and unphysiological method 

 of feeding the Snakes is not the right one. Often masses of 

 quite undigested food are found, the necessary secretions failing, 

 apparently on account of the natural stimulus of killing the 

 animal being absent. 



Of enteritis proper, 13 of the cases in Mammals and 48 of those 

 in Birds were hemorrhagic and associated with necrosis of the 

 mucous membrane ; and protozoal organisms, mostly amoebse, were 

 found in 49 of these. The bacterial cases occur mostly in the 

 autumn, and some of these, I think, will have to come under the 

 first division, since it seems probable that — at any rate, in some 

 cases — the use of boiled milk, as is the case in children, may be 

 the cause. 



14. In an Iguana with nephritis, causing almost complete de- 

 struction of the kidneys, uric acid crystals were found in numbers 

 in the blood. 



15. In this case occurring in a Bull- Frog the kidneys were 

 entirely converted , into a transparent cystic mass containing 

 clear fluid, and measuring 3 by 2 inches ; the tissues and body- 

 cavity were full of fluid. 



16. Three new growths have occurred this year: one in a wild 

 Swine in which both kidneys and both adrenals were involved. 

 There were two separate tumours, one on each side of the spine. 

 One of these was sent to the Museum of the College of Surgeons. 

 A second one occurred in the kidney of a Lemur, and the third in 

 the ovary of a Styan's Squirrel. They all belonged to the group 

 of Sarcoma and were all mixed : in the Swine a small round- 

 celled variety, with much hemorrhage ; in the Lemur a round- 

 celled and fibrous variety, rapidly growing ; and in the Squirrel it 

 was mostly of the large round-celled kind. 



17. Under this heading are included animals which have died 

 from exhaustion, due probably to depressed vitality from cold or 

 darkness, or from inability to get or take food, as has been the 

 case with many small reptiles. 



18. In these cases there was very profound anemia with con- 

 siderable blood-changes. It is most probable that these cases 

 were all parasitic in origin, but no cause, parasitic or otherwise, 

 could be found. In a Turtle-Do ve the very rare condition 

 of phagocytosis of the red corpuscles by the leucocytes was 

 observed. 



