Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-10-11
CAPTIVE BIRDS.
Their Diseases and the Systcm by
which They Are Treated.

Which They Are Treated.
Few cf - hqre crer ?'cEHd up a
sick or diseased bird in the woods. or
course. birds fl ~. hut there are
many reasons why they are seldom
seen. There is such a severe struggle
for very misunderstanding food, avoid
ing enemies-that when bird for any
reason becomes lis active or weak
ened a very short time elapses before
some hawk or ether animal kills it. III
by some rare chance ii should die and
drop to the ground. hurying beetles,
those insect updcrt@&crs OF the neither
world. set at work and In day re-
move the carcass from view
No matter how exactly natural con-
ditions are copied, birds in confinement
are bound to he attac,,e! NOW and then
by disease When the collection Of
birds in the New York geological park
assumed an Importance which war
ranted it, many BOOKS on avian dis
eases were purchased. anl the major
ity were found TO bc 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. 1t 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
correspondingly rapid. and the effect
of any medicine is apparent in 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 occasion
al cats.
Colds are very common ailments
among the birds, and If these are not
attended to often lead to rOup and
diphtheria. Sometimes the latter dis
ease appears in a bird almost without
warning. A very little thickening of
the third eyelid in hawk may be the
only outward sign that its throat is in
q very bad diphtheritic condition. Ma
laria has been detected several times,
and, 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
damp places to contract rheumatism.
This 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
floors of the cages are not softened by
q layer of sand or dirt. A corn will
kill bird Of the largest size if left
untreated. 1t is easily cured, and when
a birds foot has once recovered from
such q trouble it seems to be immune,
as the hardest concrete has no further
effect on it.
Canker is fortunately very rare, but
the gapes, ceused by tiny worms in
the throat and trachea. is more COM
mon. Instead Of ramming an oiled
feather down the poor creatures
throat. a much better way to effect a
cure is to let the bird inhale the fumes
of carbolic acid, and a very few
sneezes will dislodge the troublesome
worms. Parrots in two or three in
stances have had a peculiar disease,
and by accident it was found that if
the bird was kept continually in the
glazing sunshine 1t recovered Wheth-
er the heat is the curative agent is not
yet known.-New York Post.