354 On Septic E?iteritis.


Thinking that they perhaps wanted more space, I moved the

brood on to some quite fresh ground, with shade and shelter,

and plenty of fresh grass, and the food was slightly changed.

The young Capercaillies seemed to delight in the change, and

ranged about freely with the hen, scratching and dusting, and

evidently finding a great deal of insect food, as well as plucking

the flowering heads of the grasses. However, another chick

died on the 26th and was sent to Mr. Gill for examination. To

my dismay the report came back, " Septic Rnteritis " ; and I

realized that I had to deal with a formidable outbreak. In the

meanwhile the survivors, which were of about the size of

Grouse, seemed perfectly well, actively wandering about the

enclosure (about a quarter of an acre) ; but on the 28th of July

another died, and another on the 3rd of August ; in each case after

about twenty-four hours illness. The sixth bird survived until

the 6th of August. This last bird was seen to be amiss on the

1st of August, but it lingered five days, the lameness in one leg,

which was greatly swelled, constantly increasing until the poor

bird could not stand or move.


I am under the impression that, in the human subject,

septic poisoning sometimes takes the form of local inflammatory

swelling of some limb : and if I am right, this bird also had

taken the infection from the same source, and only lived a few

days longer than the others because the vital organs were not

immediately attacked.


I was quite unable at first to account for the appearance of

the disease, but after talking it over with my Bird-keeper, he

reminded me that the female of an apparently sound pair of

Cabot's Tragopans, which I had myself selected in Loudon, and

sent down on the 13th of June, had been noticed to be ailing on

the 23rd and had died on the 26th (when I was abroad). As ill

luck would have it, a violent thunderstorm occurred 011 the nth

of July, and the young Capercaillies were, for about three hours,

placed for shelter in the shed in which the Tragopan had died.


The following dates show the progress of the disease : —

13th June. The Tragopans were placed in the shed.

20th June. The female bird was amiss, and she died on the 26th

June.



