A. E. Hamerton—Diseases of Aviary Birds 77


are very subject to nephritis, which is a common cause of death.

In nearly all cases of nephritis in captive birds the inflammatory con¬

ditions found appear to have arisen from defects in elimination, resulting

in “ renal constipation ” and clogging of the urinary tubules and

ureters with semi-solid or solid white concretions of urates. In such

cases the kidneys are usually enlarged, dirty-yellow in colour, and may

show haemorrhages in the soft, friable, and degenerated parenchyma.

The condition is often associated with oedema of the lungs, anaemia,

pyelonephrosis, and septicaemia ; and the serous membranes of the

heart and abdominal viscera may appiear to be white-washed with a

film of urates. Apart from the condition above noted, degeneration

changes, hyaline, fatty, and lipoid, are conspicuous lesions, and affect

mainly the tubular epithelium ; or the tubules may form cysts devoid

of epithelium. There is usually much inflammatory reaction and

proliferation of fibrous tissue in the inter-tubular spaces, and round

the glomeruli ; arterio-sclerosis is not often seen. These conditions

may in some cases be late results of a specific infection that was not

recognized during life.


Diseases of the Generative System , associated with ovarian activity,

cause heavy losses among breeding birds, of which the commonest

is perhaps simple egg-binding. Salpingitis and general peritonitis,

due to the retention of malformed and necrosed ova in the genital

tract, or to the rupture and escape of egg contents into the peritoneal

cavity, are often found.


Diseases of the Liver and Gall Bladder .—Biliary cirrhosis, secondary

to gall-bladder infections in birds that possess a gall-bladder, is not

infrequent, and may be associated with general dropsy of the tissues,

ascites and pericardial effusion. In the case of a Hornbill (Phinoplax

vigil), a gall-stone the size and shape of a date stone was impacted

in the bile duct and was associated with suppurative cholangitis and

biliary cirrhosis. Fatty degeneration of the liver, often associated

with angiomatous proliferation of the blood channels is perhaps the

commonest hepatic cause of death, which usually follows rupture of

the enlarged and friable liver. Abscesses of the liver are generally

caused by foreign bodies perforating the stomach or intestines, or

they may be secondary to ulcerative enteritis. Localized necrosis


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