IN THE GARDENS DURING 1911. 239 



The principal percentage improvement is in the Mammals, 

 which come out for 1911, as compared with the three previous 

 years, roughly as 22 is to 31. 



Tiie following table shows the deaths amongst the Mammals 

 from the numerically most important diseases for the four years 

 1908-1911 :— 



1908. 1909. 1910. 1911. 



Total number of animals ... 5008 5303 55Jfi 6677 



Tuberculosis 



Pneumonia 



Septicaemia 



l^roncho-pneumonia 



Congestion of lungs 



( lastro-enteritis 



Enteritis 



Peritonitis 



The Birds do not show any percentage reduction of mortality ; 

 and the great relative moi-tality of birds in the Gardens is due, 

 in my opinion, largely to the overcrowding of many of the 

 aviaries. 



The Reptiles show the largest percentage mortality ; this is, 

 in my opinion, partly due to the fact that so many of them 

 arrive heavily laden with parasites of all sorts — some having 

 as many as four different species — and partly to the present 

 unphysiological method of feeding them. 



II. Special. 



1. The percentage of tubercle has fallen to 7"8 per cent, in 

 the Mammals, 13-3 per cent, in the Birds, and is 5*4 per cent, in 

 the Reptiles, which is I'elatively less than last year all round. 



In 6 Mammals and 41 birds it was a general tuberculosis. 

 In a Lion it was of the human type with cavitation of lungs, 

 and in 7 Birds it was of bovine type. 



A remarkable case occurred in a young Duck three weeks old, 

 in which the lungs, air-sacs, and kidneys were affected, and the 

 growths were already caseating. 



2. As before, all the mould-diseases are grouped here. In the 

 Mammals — 2 Wallabies and a Kangaroo — it was of the same 

 type as described before, and due to the same organism. The 

 percentage among the Birds remains unchanged : three cases 

 were due to Aspergillus niger. 



3. The deaths from pneumonia still remain very high, roughly 

 about the same percentage as last year. My impression, from 

 the jwo.s< morteins, is that it is becoming more virulent in the 

 Gardens : there have been more secondary pneumococcal affections, 



