Birds As Surgeons

Some interestíng observations made by M. Fatio on the surgical treatment of wounds by birds were recently brought before the Physical society oí Geneva. In these it was establiehed that the snipe had often ben observed in repairing damages. With its beak and feathers it makes a very creditable dressing, and has even been known to secure a broken limb by means of a stout ligature. On one occasion, M. Fatio killed a snipe which had on its chest a large dressing composed of down from other parts of the body and securely fixed to the body by coagulated blood. Twice he had snipe with interwoven feathers strapped on to the side of a fracture of one or other limb. The most interesting example was that of a snipe both of whose legs he had broken by a misdirected shot. He onjy recovered it on the following day, when he found that the wounded bird had contrived to apply dressings and a eort of splint to both limbs. In carrying out his operation some feathers had become entangled around the beak, and not being able to use its claws to get rid of them, the poor creature was almost dead from hunger when found. -