144 Diseases of Pheasants. 



examination, and in many cases a bacteriological one is also 

 necessary. The disease is produced by a specific bacillus, 

 closely allied to, if not the same, as the bacillus which produces 

 human tuberculosis ; but changed by its environment. The 

 bacillus obtains entrance with the food and first causes tuber- 

 culosis ulceration of some portion of the intestinal tract, the 

 spleen and liver next become affected, and the bird becomes 

 thin and dies ; sometimes the affected birds show symptoms 

 of diarrhoea. The lungs are very seldom affected, though 

 it has been seen there, and also in very rare cases in some of 

 the tymphatic glands. The appearance of the liver is very 

 marked, being mottled with white nodules, from the size of a 

 pin's head to that of a small bean, and the same appearances 

 are seen in the spleen, which maj^ be very much enlarged ; 

 but care must be taken when examining the liver not to rely 

 wholly upon the microscopical appearance of this organ, 

 for a similar appearance is produced in some cases of bacterial 

 necrosis of the liver, and in some forms of coccidia, but in 

 neither of these two cases is the spleen affected, and a bacterio- 

 logical examination will always determine the difference. 

 Unfortunately there is no curative treatment for this disease 

 when once it makes its appearance, and the only thing to do 

 is to kill and burn all sickly birds and put the healthy ones 

 on to fresh ground, where they should be carefully watched 

 to note if any symptoms of the disease should develop amongst 

 them. It is even better to kill off all the old stock, and get 

 a fresh and healthy supply of birds, at the same time taking 

 care to burn all the old aviaries and to build new ones on 

 fresh ground. 



Pneumonia. 



Young pheasants are very hable to pneumonia. This 

 disease is sometimes very infectious, and during the cold and 

 wet seasons of 1909 and 1010 caused the death of a very large 

 number of young birds, attacking especially the later hatched 

 and weaker birds. Treatment of this disease is limited to 



