June i, 1907.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
S53 
YOUNG SANDHILL CRANE, EGG AND NEST. 
From a Photograph by B. S. Brown. 
As already stated, in the investigation of the 
outbreak of April, 1906, an indication was ob¬ 
tained as to the nature of the cause of the pres¬ 
ent epizootic. This pointed directly to Klein’s 
f bacillus of grouse disease, B. scoticus, Migula. 
However, bearing in mind the differences in de¬ 
scription of the two diseases, search was made 
! for causes other than that of so called grouse 
disease. A superficial resemblance, in some cases 
at least, to the infectious entero-hepatitis or 
blackhead of turkeys suggested looking for 
amebae, but no ameba could be found. In view 
of this likeness it might be well to note certain 
points of difference. The liver is affected in a 
much less proportion of cases in quail disease 
than in infectious entero-hepatitis; the contour 
of the liver lesions in the latter disease is much 
more regular than in quail disease; enlargement 
of the liver is not the characteristic in quail 
disease that it is in blackhead. In blackhead it 
is the ceca and never the intestines that are af¬ 
fected; in quail disease the intestines proper, 
from gizzard to vent, are studded with ulcers, 
the ceca being diseased in only about 40 per cent, 
of the cases. Finally, as stated, there is no ameba 
present. There are bodies present in the lesions 
which possess apparently the same size and struc¬ 
ture as the Ameba meleagridis, described by 
Smith, but the writer has no hesitation in saying 
that they are degenerated and degenerating nuclei 
of tissue cells. 
On the other hand, bacterial research gave dif¬ 
ferent and far more definite results. With strik¬ 
ing unanimity all diseased birds yielded a bacillus 
of the B. coli group. Sowings made from blood, 
lungs, liver and intestines gave rise to a rather 
actively motile rod-shaped organism, appearing 
often as paired ovals, single or paired rods with 
rounded ends, and even filaments. Polar staining 
was quite constant, staining by Gram negative, 
and no spores were ever detected. Growth was 
independent of the presence or absence of oxygen. 
Its growth on gelatin, the character of gas 
formation in glucose, lactose and saccharose 
bouillons and its milk coagulating properties 
prove it to be a form of Bacillus coli, an intesti¬ 
nal _ micro-organism of widely extended patho¬ 
genic powers. 
The bacillus cannot always be cultivated from 
the heart blood of a bird dead of quail disease, 
nor can it always be cultivated from the lungs. 
It can usually be isolated from the liver in which 
lesions exist, and always from the affected in¬ 
testines. Thus far in the investigation the or¬ 
ganism has not proved pathogenic for chickens, 
pigeons or rabbits. It has produced death in 
mice and guinea pigs, with the characteristic 
lesions. As was the case with Klein in his grouse 
disease investigations, great difficulty has oc¬ 
curred in securing birds known to be free from 
exposure. With the small amount of material 
available we have still been successful in inoculat¬ 
ing birds with cultures, although feeding experi- 
1 ments have as yet proved negative. 
At present no curative treatment can be de¬ 
scribed with promise of success. As brought out 
under symptomatology, the subtle invasion of the 
disease and its seemingly sudden development 
j with quickly ensuing death preclude the possi¬ 
bility of success in individual treatment. Never¬ 
theless there are cases that appear at post mortem 
to have been chronic, and hence in individual 
cases it might be well to institute treatment by 
intestinal antisepsis; for instance, small doses of 
calomel (one-tenth of a grain). For reasons 
cited in the section below, immediate change of 
location, with disinfection of cages, water pans, 
feed trays, etc., should be made. 
It is difficult at this stage of the investigation 
to speak dogmatically on this subject. Certain 
facts combine to establish at least one definite 
! line of procedure. The disease has been recog- 
; nized only in birds in the state of captivity. It 
cannot, however, be positively asserted that it 
does not occur among those in the wild state. 
' Wild birds living in their natural state under 
ordinary conditions are not called upon to develop 
. resistance to the bacteria that swarm in crowded 
J habitats. Let the ordinary conditions of food 
supply be disturbed by circumstances that curtail 
the amount of ground available to the birds, and 
1 a t once attention is called to the mortality among 
| them, and investigation shows bacterial disease. 
N 
When birds are caught and maintained in cap¬ 
tivity, either in the small inclosures of the deal¬ 
ers or even in the less small grounds of develop¬ 
ing preserves, the same conditions as above men¬ 
tioned obtain and great mortality from bacterial 
disease results. Therefore the following pre¬ 
cautions are urged upon all who have to do with 
not only quail but all wild birds kept under arti¬ 
ficial conditions. 
In the case of caged birds, the cages should be 
kept scrupulously clean and the food kept in 
containers that will prevent the contamination 
of the food supply by the feces. Where birds 
are kept in good sized inclosures frequent change 
of location is necessary, the used ground being 
treated with lime, plowed deep, and allowed to 
sweeten. 
Collectors and shippers should regard the 
disease as a menace to their business. Crates 
of such simplicity and cheapness of construction 
should be employed as would permit their being 
burned after using once. The practice of ship¬ 
ping back the “empties” is most baneful. When 
a shipper has once had the disease on his place 
all fresh birds should be received in another 
building at as great a distance as possible from 
the inclosure where the sick birds were kept. 
The infected ground or building should then be 
disinfected as above directed. 
The principles mentioned above, while of gen¬ 
eral application, are specially appropriate to the 
prevention of quail disease. It is a disease due 
to Bacillus coli. This is an intestinal germ, 
whose presence in food or water supply bespeaks 
contamination with feces. Hence, by cleanliness, 
by disinfection, by change of ground such con¬ 
tamination should be prevented. 
A fatal disease at present menaces the quail 
interests of this country. In time of outbreak, 
mode of attack, general character of lesions, and 
causative agent it is singularly like the grouse 
disease of England. Actually unknown in this 
country until the past year, it demands the active 
interest of all lovers of bird life in order that 
it may be better understood with a view to its 
control and prevention. 
Some questions pertaining to the problem that 
require an answer are as follows: 
1. Is the disease due to a specific contagium 
introduced into this country from without, as, 
for instance, grouse disease of England, or is 
it a disease of overcrowding that may arise in 
any section of the country whenever the birds are 
brought under artificial conditions of life? 
2. Are there, as in grouse disease, two out¬ 
breaks—one, the acute, in spring, and the other, 
a subacute, or chronic form, marked by emacia¬ 
tion, in the fall ? 
3. Does the disease seem to occur spontan¬ 
eously in sections of the country other than those 
named under “Known centers of infection?” 
4. How widespread is the disease? Is its 
geographical distribution, as outlined in a pre¬ 
vious section, limited to those localities which 
have received shipments from the known centers 
of infection ? 
5. Does the receipt of a shipment of birds re¬ 
sult in the infection of birds heretofore healthy? 
The facts recorded in this circular point to this, 
but further evidence will be of value. 
6. If the preceding question is answered af¬ 
firmatively, what period of time elapses between 
the receipt of such infected birds and the out¬ 
break among the old stock? In other words, 
what is the period of incubation? 
7. Besides the cases mentioned in this paper, 
are there other persons who have received ship¬ 
ments of Bobwhites or other quail from Alabama, 
Kansas or Indian Territory, only to have them 
shortly die from disease? 
These and similar questions press for answer 
before it can be claimed that we know the disease 
and are therefore prepared to combat it intelli¬ 
gently. Any information that will throw further 
light upon the problem will be welcomed by the 
Bureau of Animal Industry. Upon those v'ho 
are interested in this chief of American game birds 
it cannot be urged too strongly that they give 
immediate notification of the existence of disease 
among the quail of their sections of the country. 
Wherever possible a few of the dead birds should 
be wrapped in cloths saturated in five per cent, 
carbolic acid solution or ten per cent, formalin 
and forwarded immediately to the Bureau of 
Animal Industry, Division of Pathology, Wash¬ 
ington, D. C., for verification of the disease. The 
men who are acquainted with the birds and their 
haunts should note carefully everything connected 
with the outbreaks of quail disease. The layman 
and the scientist must work together if any suc¬ 
cessful defense is made against this destructive 
malady. 
THE CAMPER’S FRIEND. 
Pure Milk is desirable wherever you camp. 
Borden’s Eagle Brand Condensed Milk always 
opens up perfectly fresh, pure and satisfactory. 
It is the first item thought of by the veteran 
camper.— Adv. 
i 
