Diseases of the Reprodtictive Organs 257 



unless attended to. It is distinguished from the other by 

 not occurring as a "rule in fat birds; by the immature and 

 small size of the yolk or yolks; generally also by hemor- 

 rhage ; and always by signs of illness of chicks afterwards. 

 Any such bird should be placed for a few days in a quiet and 

 comfortable but rather dark pen, with a nest in case of need, 

 and fed on a little bread and milk. Quiet rest is the main 

 thing, but 20 grains bromide of potassium may be dissolved 

 in half a pint of drinking water. With such care the event 

 may be entirely recovered from." 



Yolk Hypertrophy 



There are a number of cases on record where the yolks 

 formed by the ovary have been very much larger than nor- 

 mal. These "giant yolks" are due to a diseased condition 

 of the organ, possibly contingent upon too much forcing for 

 egg production. Such cases have been described by Gurlt,^ 

 and more recently by von Durski.^ 



When yolks become very large in this way they may 

 break loose from the ovary without any rupture of the follicle 

 wall along the stigma but a breaking or tearing loose of the 

 stalk or pedicle of the follicle. 



Failure of Follicle Wall to Rupture 



Closely connected with the last diseased condition is one 

 discussed by von Durski in which the follicle wall fails to 

 rupture and release the yolk. In consequence of this, in the 

 case described by von Durski, the follicle wall became 

 stretched and pulled out into a long and very much twisted 



1 Gurlt, Mag. f. d. ges. Tierheilk. 1849. 



"von Durski, "Die pattologisohe Veranderungen des Eies und 

 EUeiters bei den Vogeln." Berlin, 1907. 



