412 DISEASE IN WILD MAMMALS AND BIRDS 
Internal or serous membrane gout cannot be recog- 
nized during life so far as I Iniow. The bird may seem in 
its usual condition of feather, activity, appetite and 
elimination, when suddenly it will fade in a day or so and 
die. At autopsy the serous surfaces of the heart and 
peritoneum mil be white with uric acid crj^ stals and the 
kidneys a pale yellow brown \vith markings indicating that 
the pelves and tubules are choked with urates. 
The boat-billed heron {Cancroma cochlearia) had had bad feet 
for three months. "The general condition is poor as to plumage and 
flesh. The tarsal and metatarsal joint areas of both legs are sur- 
rounded by firm tough swellings involving skin and periarticular tissue. 
That on left foot has ulcerated and bled. On section the swelling is 
found to consist of reddened fibrous tissue around tendons, the latter 
apparently running through smooth sheaths. At both ankles are urate 
deposits clearly seen in this inflammatory tissue but at the lower end 
of the tarsus there are no distinct deposits. The joint surfaces do not 
seem to be involved. Knee, hip, and wing joints seem uninvolved. 
Internally all surfaces are opaque by sprinkling of whitish or yellowish 
dots like urates ; this is especially marked over heart. Pleurae aside from 
urates are negative. Lungs very slightly uniformly congested through- 
out. Aorta and branches are stiff, intima smooth. The liver is soft, 
deep brown color, architecture seems normal. The kidney has a smooth 
capsule and a smooth pale yellow surface. Organ is firm. Section sur- 
face is glistening and opaque, every lobule clear, pelves filled with 
pale yellow material, cortical areas irregular. Alimentary tract nega- 
tive. Microscopical section of kidney shows general topography re- 
tained, vessels very much injected, some showing thrombosis. Cortex 
slightly irregular probably by swelling of medulla. Tubular epithelium 
swollen and granular or desquamating and degenerating. Glomeruli 
vary in size and shape, mostly fill out the capsule. Capillary cells show 
some vacuoles. Some urate collections in tubules ; practically all pelvic 
tubules have some urates. Interstitial tissue not increased. Blood 
vessel walls somewhat loose. Endothelium prominent. No areas of 
degeneration seen. 
Diabetes. 
Diabetes is an infrequent but well recognized disease 
among domestic animals. Its detection depends on a 
rather vag-ue chain of symptoms confirmed by the dis- 
covery of sugar in the urine. For the suspicion that a 
wild animal was suffering with diabetes one would have 
