142 PHEASANTS FOB COVUBTS AND AVIABIES. 



gamekeeper brouglit me for inspection a- lien pheasant which 

 was partially paralysed in the legs, and low in condition. 

 On killing the same and opening the gizzard I found thirteen 

 leaden pellets of various sizes; the grinding action of the 

 gizzard had disseminated the lead with the food, and the 

 bird was surely but safely undergoing the slow process of 

 lead-poisoning. This was very evident on applying the 

 nsual chemical tests, as I readily detected lead dissolved in 

 the" food, and also traces in the blood taken from the region 

 of the heart. Two days after this the gamekeeper brought 

 another live bird. This one had been in a sickly condition 

 for two or three weeks, and was quite emaciated, The legs 

 were paralysed, and the feet drawn in a similar manner to 

 the drop-hand, when lead has been the cause of poisoning in 

 the human subject. On opening the gizzard I found four 

 pellets, so that there is little doubt that this bird would soon 

 have died from the effects of lead-poisoning. 



" I understand last year some score of pheasants died 

 in the same preserve, all of them showing symptoms same 

 as above related. Both years the poisoning happened after 

 the coverts had been shot through. No doubt the birds 

 pick up the pellets under the delusion of being either food 

 or grains of sand ; perhaps the latter. When . the birds died 

 last year the cause of death was attributed to there being 

 too many left for breeding purposes j rather a strange reason, 

 seeing that the birds had been decimated on the shooting day. 



" Others may have experienced something similar to the 

 above, without being able to give a satisfactory reason for 

 the birds dying; but where you have paralysed limbs and 

 a gradual falling off in condition, and should this happen 

 some weeks after the covert has been shot through, then they 

 may suspect that lead-poisoning is a probable cause." 



