Enteritis. 147 



burnt, not thrown on the ground, whence the germa (baciUi) 

 of the disease can spread. 



In their work " Diseases of Domesticated Birds " Messrs. 

 Ward and Gallagher refer to an epizootic of infectious enteritis 

 among the pheasants in the public gardens of Milan, observed 

 by Fiorontini, which occurred after a similar epizootic among 

 the swans. The symptoms described by Fiorontini are 

 similar to those described by Dr. Klein, but the disease does 

 not seem to have been so rapidly fatal or so infectious. 



The disease has also attacked pheasants in this country. 

 Some time ago a pheasant was sent to the late Mr. W. B. 

 Tegetmeier at the Field with the following letter, showing 

 how rapidly this fatal epizootic may spread from an over- 

 crowded poultry run into the coverts. The writer says : 



" I am sending you with this a young pheasant which 

 has been attacked with a disease that has unfortunately 

 destroyed a large number of birds which were placed in the 

 woods in a perfectly healthy condition. It is the general 

 opinion that the birds have been affected by a poultry farm 

 which is on the estate, as the fowls were known to be dying 

 in large numbers from a similar disease." 



On examination this bird was found to be affected with 

 every symptom of fowl enteritis. The intestines showed 

 redness in the mucous membrane ; in the caecal appendages 

 there was a great amount of mucus, the spleen and liver 

 were enlarged, and there is no doubt that the bacteria or 

 microbes causing the disease could have been cultivated if 

 it had been thought necessary to do so. The writer of the 

 letter also asked for a remedy. The researches of Dr. Klein 

 and the experience of others pointed to one course, the destruc- 

 tion of the affected birds ; and as it would be impossible to 

 destroy the bacilli on the tainted ground over a large extent 

 of covert, the rearing of pheasants should only take place in 

 fresh and untainted ground the following year. It is important, 

 therefore, to note that fowl enteritis infects other gallinaceous 

 birds, and that pheasants on overcrowded ground and those 



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