WOUNDS OF BIRDS | AdventAI

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Aug 19, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 32.

WOUNDS OF BIRDS.

SOME interesting observations made by M. Fatio on the surgical treatment of wounds by birds were recently brought before the Physical Society of Geneva. In these it was stated that the snipe had often been observed repairing damages. With its beak and feathers it makes a very creditable dressing, and even has been known to secure a broken limb by means of a stout ligature. On one occasion M. Fatio killed a snipe which had on the 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 had snipe with interwoven feathers strapped on to the site of a fracture of one or other limb. The most interesting example was that of a snipe, both of whose legs he had unfortunately broken by a misdirected shot. He only recovered it on the following day, when he found that the poor creature had contrived to apply dressings and a sort of splint to both limbs. In carrying out this operation, some feathers had become entangled around the beak, and not being able to use its claws to get rid of them, it was almost dead from hunger when found. In a case recorded by M. Maginn, a snipe which was observed to fly away with a broken leg was subsequently found to have forced the fragments into a parallel position (the upper fragment reaching to the leg joint), and they were secured there by means of a strong band of feathers and moss intermingled.—Philadelphia Ledger.