AVINE SURGERY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2127, 6 May 1889, Page 2

AVINE SURGERY

Some most Interesting observation! made by M. Fatio on the enrglo»l treatment of woanda by birds were recently brought before ibe Physical Society of Geneva. In these it was stated ibat the snipe had often been observed repairing damages. With its beak and feathen it makes a very creditable dressing, and even baa be9Q known to seoare a broken limb by m9aao of a stoat ligature* On one occasion M. Fatlo billed a sntpe whloh had on the chest a large dressing composed of down from other parts of the body, and securely fixed to the body by means of ooagulated blood . Twice he had had snip* with interwoven feathers strapped on to the site of a fraoture of one or other limb; The most interesting example was that of a snipe both of whose lega he had anfortunately broken by a miidireoted shot, He .only recovered it on the following day, when he found that the poor creature had ooatrived to apply dressings and a. sort of splint to both limbs In carrying out this oparation some feathers had beoome entangled around the beak, and not beiog able to use its claws to get rid of them, it was almost dead from hunger when found. In a oase recorded by MVMagnin, a snipe whioh|waß observed to fly away wih a broken leg was subsequently found to haveforoed 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 feathere and moss intermingled. The observers were particularly struck by iha application of a ligature of a kind of flatleafed grass, wound round the limb m a spiral form, and fixed by meant of a glae-like substance.