The quail, Coturnix coturnix as a laboratory animal

The quail, Coturnix coturnix, is small, gentle, hardy, adaptable, easy to house, and economical to maintain. Wetherbee and Jacobs (1960) call it the "Drosophila of the avian laboratory," and yet this charming bird is virtually unknown to the psychological laboratory. Our preliminary investigations show that the pecking operant is readily conditioned and that little or no deprivation is necessary to maintain behavior with food as a reinforcer. Visual and temporal discriminations were very quickly made. Our observations suggest that the social behavior of these birds might be a fruitful area for psychological study. On the basis of our somewhat limited observations, we believe that C. coturnix should prove a useful experimental animal for comparative studies, for basic research in learning, motivation, and perhaps social behavior, and for teaching the analysis of behavior in demonstrations and laboratory courses.

PROCUREMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF GERM-FREE SEINE FOR MICROBIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS

Germ-free swine were routinely procured by both hysterectomy and hysterotomy (Caesarian section). By means of light-weight portable equipment, piglets could be obtained and transported to the laboratory (without contamination) over distances in excess of 100 miles. The isolators employed in rearing were constructed of stainless steel and flexible plastic film. At weekly intervals, fecal swabs and waste from the floor of the isolator were cultured on blood-agar and in thioglycolate broth, as well as being examined microscopically for the presence of bacteria, yeast, and fungi. The presence of pleuropneumonia-like organisms (PPLO) and viruses in such material was not demonstrable, either by the use of enriched PPLO media or primary porcine-kidney cell cultures. Tissues, body fluids, and cecal contents of piglets sacrificed specifically for microbiological examination were also negative for PPLO, viruses, bacteria, yeast, and fungi. Prenatal infestations by ascarids were not observed. Nutritional problems related to rearing of germ-free piglets, such as hypoglycemia, were not encountered, and the use of an autoclaved commercial sow's milk replacer proved quite satisfactory. The temperature to which piglets were subjected during the first few days of life, however, was very important. The isolator design and application of gnotobiotic techniques to the procurement and rearing of a large germ-free animal such as the pig proved feasible and less difficult than anticipated.

MEASUREMENT OF BODY TEMPERATURE IN CONSCIOUS SMALL LABORATORY ANIMALS BY MEANS OF AN OESOPHAGEAL THERMOCOUPLE

A device is described for making rapid repeated measurements of body temperature in conscious small laboratory animals. A thermocouple, sealed inside an 18 gauge hypodermic needle is inserted into the oesophagus and the temperature read directly on a calibrated meter.

ELIMINATION OF EPERYTHROZOON COCCOIDES INFECTION FROM MOUSE COLONIES

1. Long-established infection of a mouse colony with Eperthyrozoon coccoides was eliminated by regular insecticidal treatments designed to reduce infestation with lice and fleas.

2. Undesirable consequences of E. coccoides infection upon mice used as experimental animals are noted and an easy routine for exclusion of this parasite from mouse colonies is suggested.