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The ultrastructure of the leucocytes and thrombocytes in the peripheral blood of Japanese quail was studied. The fine structure of these cells were fundamentally identical with those of other Aves. A brief description of the morphology of the cells examined has been presented.

Blood samples from 11 baby elephants, 14 tuskers, and 16 females comprising 5 pregnant and 11 nonpregnant nonlactating elephants (Elephas maximus) were analyzed to assess the hematological values and the influence of age, sex, and pregnancy on these. The results obtained show that, compared with other mammals, the erythrocyte count in the blood of elephants is low and the mean corpuscular volume (m.c.v.), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (m.c.h.), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (e.s.r.) are high. The very high values for m.c.v. and m.c.h. and the low erythrocyte count seen in elephants suggest that in the evolution of blood though they are more advanced than reptiles and birds in having eliminated the nuclei from the erythrocytes, they are still in the primitive state compared with the other mammals in as much as their erythrocytes have not attained the efficiency in the transportation of blood gases that results from a reduction in size to facilitate numerical increase. A low erythrocyte count and packed cell volume, a high e.s.r., an increase in neutrophils, and a decrease in the percentage of lymphocytes and eosinophils characterize pregnancy. In baby elephants there is an increase in the total leucocyte and lymphocyte counts and a decrease in eosinophils.

1964. Effect of age, sex and level of fat deposition on major body components in some wood warblers. Auk, 81: 505-513. Sauer, N. G., D. A. Cramer and J. V. Schutze, 1969. The effect of dietary melengestrol acetate (MGA) on body weight gain, percentage carcass fat and fatty acid composition of roaster chickens. Poul- ABSTRACTBlood samples from 90 sexually immature Japanese quail chicks, divided into three groups of 15 males and 15 females per group, were examined to determine the effect of exogenous stilbestrol dipropionate and testosterone propionate. Stilbestrol-treated quail had significantly lower erythrocyte counts, packed cell volume values, hemoglobin concentrations and relative percentage distributions of lymphocytes and showed higher percentages of heterophils and higher total protein content when compared with control birds. Testosterone administration resulted in an elevated erythrocyte count, hematocrit reading and hemoglobin level in the male quail as compared to the control. The mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, total leucocyte count and percentages of basophils and eosinophils were essentially unchanged in either sex by stilbestrol or testosterone therapy.

Thirty-nine adult Indian elephants (Elephas maximus indicus) of both sexes and various ages and weights, belonging to the Forest Department of the Government of Kerala (India), Temple Devaswoms, Gemini Circus and other private agencies, were used to derive formulae to predict body weight and height from body measurements. Several models were fitted separately for males and females and also for adults irrespective of sex. The best prediction of body weight (W) in kg was obtained for adults irrespective of sex by using two parameters, the body length (L) in cm from the base of the forehead to the base of the tail, and the chest girth (G) in the formula W = -1010 + 0.036 (L x G). No single parameter gave as accurate a prediction of the body weight, and the inclusion of height as a third parameter did not improve the prediction. No significant improvement in the accuracy of prediction resulted from the use of different formulae for males and females. An equation to predict the height at the shoulders (H) in cm from the right forefoot circumference (C) in cm in adult elephants irrespective of sex was also derived. This was H = -1.60 + 1.99 C.