Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-02
CAPTIVE BIRDS.
Their Diseases and the system by
Which They Are Treated.

Thcir Diseases and the system h,
Which They Are Treated.
Few Of us have ever picked up O
sick or diseased bird In the woods. OF
course, birds fall i'll, but there arc
many reasons why they are seldom
seen. There is such a severe struggle
for very existence-finding food. avoid
Ing enemies-that when bird for any
reason becomes less active or weak.
ened very short time elapses before
some hawk or other animal kills It. If
by some rare chance 1t should die and
drop to the ground, burying beetles,
those insect undertakers of the neither
world. set at work and IN a day re-
move the carcass from view
No matter how exactly natural CON
ditions are copied. birds in confinement
are bound to be attacked now and then
by disease. When the collection of
birds in the New York geological park
assumed an Importance which war
rantcd 1t, many books on avian dis
eases were purchased, and the ma jor-
ity were found to re almost worthless.
especially those relating to the care Of
wild birds. So these were cast aside
and experiments begun, which, though
they cost more lives than one at first,
soon yielded results which have proved
invaluable. The birds body is com
posed of flesh. blood and bones so like
our own In composition that, it was
argued a priori, why would not the
same therapeutics apply? In many in
stances perfect confirmation, of this has
resulted.
Birds differ from human beings in
few important respects For instance,
the normal temperature of most birds
Is about 10 degrees, which would kill
a human being. The circulation is
corrcspondingly rapid, and the effect
or any medicine Is apparent In n very
short time. out of thirty organic dis
eases which have caused deaths among
the birds all but four or five have
yielded to treatment. and most Of those
cured have certain definite premonitory
symptoms. SO that they can be treat.
ed before an advanced stage renders
recovery uncertain. Most Of the recent
deaths among the hundred odd birds
have been due to accidents or occasio
al cats.
Colds are very common ailments
among the birds. and if these are not
attended to often lead to ro,Ip and
diphth"ria. Sometimes the latter dis
ease appears in IA bird almost without
warning. y very little thickening of
the third eyeid in n hawk may be the
only outward sign that its throat is in
very bad diphthcritc condition. Ma. ,
laria has been detected several times.
ana. curiously enough, in herons and
other wading birds whose ordinary
mode of life. one would think. would
long ago have eliminated all birds dis !
posed toward such a disease. Flamin- |
goes spend much of their time standing
or walking in water, and yet they are
extremely liable when confined in
camp places to contract rheumatism.
his and similar complaints often
yield to a treatment of quinine alone.
Corns are the bane Of birds whose
perches may be too large or where the
noors OF the cages are not softened by
Il layer of sand or dirt A corn will
XIII bird of the largest size if LETT
1t is easily cured. and when
BIRDS foot has once recovered from
such trouble it seems to be immune.
as the hardest concrete has no further
effect on it.
Canker is fortunately very rare. but
the gapes. caused by tiny worms in
the throat and trachea. is more com
mon. Instead of ramming an oiled
feather down the poor creatures
throat, much better way to effect a
cure Is to let the bird inhale the fumes
Of carbolic acid. and very few
sneezes will dislodge the troublesome
worms. Parrots in two or three in
stances have had peculiar disease.
and by accident it was found that If
he bird was kept continually in the
tlaring sunshine it recovered Wheth-
n the heat is the curative agent is not
ret known.-New York Post.