47 
birds where they were not starved. In every case the 
eggs are more concentrated where the bird has been 
starved. This was shown practically in the case of green- 
cheeked amazon which was passed as not verminous 
during our preliminary experiments without starving but 
detected after starving. 
The above method has been employed in all our ex- 
aminations. We realize that it is not perfect. We know 
that it is tedious and time consuming. It is proposed to 
look toward the discovery of a fluid whose specific gravity 
is intermediate between those of spiroptera eggs and 
digestive debris, in which case one (the eggs) would go 
to the bottom and the other to the top during centrifugal- 
ization. Employing the method outlined above (for 
convenience called the improved method) every bird in 
the parrot house has been examined. The birds were 
removed to a separate building. The parrot house was 
thoroughly fumigated with formaldehyde. The cages 
were galvanized and new stands erected. The birds 
whose droppings showed ova were isolated in the infirm- 
ary. The others were sent to the parrot house. Those 
removed to the infirmary were again examined by im- 
proved method without starving, to guard against a 
possible clerical error by which the specimens might have 
been mixed. 
Results of examinations. 
The following birds were sent to the infirmary: — 
January 5th, 1912. — Ring-necked Parrakeet No. 2 — 
ova fairly numerous — confirmed January 10th, 1912. St. 
Thomas Conure — ova great numbers — confirmed Jan- 
uary 10th, 1012. 
January 24th, 1912. — Swainson's Lorikeet No. 2 — ova 
very numerous — confirmed February 2d, 1912. Blossom- 
headed Parrakeet No. 3 — numerous ova — confirmed Feb- 
ruary 2d, 1912. Blue-crowned Conure — very few ova — 
confirmed Januray 31st, 1912. 
