344 DISEASE IN WILD MAMMALS AND BIRDS 
fractures, dislocations and inflammations. Some illus- 
trations are introduced to exemplify this healing ability, 
one of which was found in an animal shot by a hunter, 
the other an incidental autopsy discovery. Even though 
there be no definite relationship between the zoological 
order and osseous disease, it is interesting to record a 
very simple observation. Animals with long extremities, 
especially when the bones are quite near the skin, have a 
rather high incidence of fractures and inflammations. 
Thus the ungulates have of all orders the highest per- 
centage of these traumatic and infective lesions ; herons 
and gallinaceous birds follow the ungulates. Marsupials, 
primates and carnivores, in this order, are susceptible to 
inflammations but not to fractures. Bones are often 
broken, among the CervidaB, BovidaB and Camelidae, when 
as they are chased by mates, they fall upon the slippery 
floor of the cages ; or again the mounting of a small 
animal by a large buck may cnish the former to the earth. 
Two cases of fractured pelvis have been seen in antelopes 
from a fall with extended hind legs. 
It would seem that repair is usually satisfactory if the 
animal have a quiet retreat where callus may form and 
union occur. A heron is known to have broken both bones 
of the leg ; at autopsy a very insignificant circumferential 
callus remained, the member being as straight and strong 
as normal. Figure 40 shows the femur of a deer shot by 
a hunter ; the shortening was considerable, but function 
was doubtless good because the hunter could perceive no 
limping as the animal ran. The most interesting fracture 
among our records was an intracapsular fracture of the 
hip in a Huanaco {Lama huanacos) shown in Figure 41. 
This animal slipped on the ice in December and was 
thought to have broken something near the hip, but it 
limped around \NT.thout any great show of pain until the 
follomng May, when it died of meningitis secondary to an 
otitis media et interna. At autopsy an unhealed, complete 
fracture of the neck of the right femur was found. 
