Art. XII.—On Tuberculosis in Pheasants in Wanganui.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 32, 1899, Page 54

Art. XII.—On Tuberculosis in Pheasants in Wanganui. By S. H. Drew, F.L.S. [Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 8th August, 1899.] Some little time ago several of the acclimatisation societies on this coast joined with the Wellington Society to procure live game from England. Our local society elected to import the long-tailed Reeves pheasant (Phasianus reevesii). Before the birds arrived I had a large place enclosed at the rear of the Museum, and everything was ready for them when they arrived by the “Ruapehu” some eighteen months ago. The boxes of birds came from the “Ruapehu” by local steamer, and on arrival I at once took them to the Museum and let them out in the place prepared for them. I wish to say here that the boxes the birds were brought out from England in were cruelly small, each bird being in a separate compartment of the following size: 11 in. wide, 18 ½ in. high, and 23 ½ in. deep: so small, indeed, were they that the tail-feathers of the birds had to be cut quite close to the body to get them into the box, and I doubt if the birds could have turned round when inside. One bird was dead on arrival, and the wings of two others were broken and hanging down. I washed these and set them as well as I was able. In the

course of time moulting came on; the beautiful new plumage took the place of the old dirty feathers, and the cock-birds looked magnificent in their gorgeous colours and long 4 ft. tails All the birds being now fully feathered, and seeming in splendid health, the society decided to liberate them. This was done some distance up the Wanganui River The pair with the mended wings were not turned out, as it was considered that there was a danger of their being destroyed by dogs, and it was also hoped that the pair would rear a brood of young ones. The hen laid eleven eggs, but would not sit, so the eggs were placed under a domestic hen, who hatched them out, but, unfortunately, trod them to death soon after-wards. During the time of their captivity the birds improved in appearance; they ate well, and looked strong and healthy, and showed no outward indication of disease. On Sunday, the 2nd July, the cock-bird began to mope, and, although still eating food, died on the following Thursday. I opened the bird and found the liver about six times larger than normal, and closely studded with nodules or cysts containing a yellow cheesy matter, and varying in size up to ½ in. in diameter. Dr. Connolly of this town (one of the presidents of our society) examined the bird with me, and pronounced the trouble to be tuberculosis. Nor was the liver only in this state; all the organs were more or less diseased. The lungs appeared to be most healthy; at the same time there was a very large nodule at the bottom of the right lung. The body was not emaciated, but rather well nourished. Being such an interesting specimen, I wrapped it in cloth, wetted with a solution of formol, and posted it to the Chief Veterinarian, Mr. Gilruth, Wellington, who writes, “The disease affecting this animal is tuberculosis in a most advanced stage, almost every organ being implicated. The nodules in the liver and lungs, when examined microscopically, are found to be filled with masses of the characteristic bacillus.” Now, where did the bird contract the disease? Was it before it reached New Zealand or afterwards? Many are of the opinion that had the bird developed tuberculosis before coming here it would have died, and not have lived in apparent health for eighteen months after its arrival here. In spite of this opinion I think it hardly possible for the birds, while under my care, to have come in contact with the bacillus indicated for many reasons. To start with the aviary was built on the sandhill at the rear of the Museum; it was not old ground. About four years ago some feet of the sand was stripped off in levelling the site, and the land has been close fenced ever since. No rubbish or anything was thrown there; no animals were kept in the enclosure; grass was growing strongly; nothing could drain into the

land; and it was never wet, as drainage went away at once. The birds were fed with the best corn and other seeds, sopped bread with water, cabbage, and lettuce. The water used for the birds was always rain-water, and no other birds were with them. No meat, liver, or milk was given them as food. They were in a private part of the Museum grounds, and the public could not get to them. The only creatures we ever saw in the avairy were sparrows and rats. Could the rats communicate the disease? I should add that after the birds had been here one month a hen died, and later on I lost a cock-bird, but unfortunately, I am sorry to say, I made no examination of either. I have since heard that other societies who imported the Reeves pheasant lost all by death before turning out.