Post Mortem Reports. 
93 
Post Mortem Reports, 
ZKintA Fixcii (9). Miss D. E. Pithie, Lymington, Hants. 
The cause of death was enteritis and bronchitis, due to a chill when 
not properly acclimatised. These birds do better on Canary seed and 
millet. Soft food is not good for them; at least, that is my experi- 
ence. There; was no evidence of the malady being' infectious. 
Eed-ceested Cardinal. (Mrs. Travis, Stourbridge). I 
am sorry to say this bird died of bird- fever, which is highly con- 
tagious 'by direct and indirect infection. The spleen and liver 
were crammed with small fig-seed like nodules, and both organs were, 
as they usually are in this disease, very much enlarged. The 
breast-bone was prominent, indicating that the bird had oeen suffer- 
ing' some little time. Bird-fever is due to an ovoid bacillus, closely 
related to that of avian cholera. It differs from avian plague which 
is duo to an invisible organism in the blood and tissues. There are 
many diseases of a contagious nature which closely resemble one 
another in appearance during the life of the bird. 
As to egg-binding, when it occurs, place the bird in a metal 
cage, which should be covered with a piece of flannel, so, that 
the bird can get a little air, and places it in immediate contact 
with a hot water radiator, or even a boiler. If the bird is not 
too far gone before this is adopted, it generally relieves the creature 
if not of its egg of its suffering. I have left birds at night-time 
in contact with the radiator, quite expecting to find them dead 
next morning, but to my surprise, have found them all right, quite 
lively, on the perch. In a few instances, although the bird seemed 
relieved of its suffering, it has not passed its egg until two or 
three days later. The so-called egg-binding is due to a muscular 
spasm of the oviduct, not to the egg itself. The usual method of 
steiiming acts not by the moisture but by the heat given off from 
the water. If once the hot air treatment was given a fair trial, steam- 
ing would become a thing of the past. Birds' normal temperatures 
"being usually very high (106 — 110 degs.) is the reason they can 
stand a very high artificial temperature. 
Experience of giving newly imported birds sand, after it 
has been denied them for some time negatives its too sudden use 
until the birds have got accustomed to their new conditions of life. 
Hek Yellow Budgeiugae. (E. Arthur Mallett, Barnsley). 
The cause of death was the so-called egg-binding, which is very 
common, especiallj' in this species during the chilly, but not intensely 
cold weather. In future, in such cases feel for the egg in the hinder 
part of abdomen, and if present adopt the hot-air treatment recom- 
mended above. I have frequently perforated the egg, and let out 
its contents and the bii-d has soon after passed the shell and le- 
covered her usual spirits. This operation, however, requires skill, 
and a knowledge of the birds' anatomy. Egg-binding, I think, is 
more prevalent wlien a north or north-easterly wind is prevailing 
and the birds kept in an artificially warm room exposed to th© 
