It frequently occurs that though a puppy may lie in a normal position, the mother is unable to give birth to it in consequence of its being too large. The nose may be just inside the vagina, and there become fixed in spite of the bitch’s straining for hours. I have seen hundreds of such cases. It is a mistake to leave the bitch in this condition too long, thinking matters will come all right, as it is wasting time and the mother’s strength; and if there are other puppies to come, she probably will not have strength either to expel them herself or help anyone who may try to assist her. In this instance, the head is so firmly fixed in the mouth of the womb that it is impossible to take hold of it with forceps, however small or thin the blades may be, but the hook of the crotchet may generally be passed into the mouth of the puppy, and by fixing it well into the palate a good hold is obtained, and the puppy drawn through the passage by main force. If care be taken, it is astonishing what amount of force may be used in promoting delivery without at all injuring the bitch, but it is best not to pull on the puppy except during the labour pains, if there are any. It is the custom of some veterinary surgeons to give the bitch, during labour, a hot bath if the parts are not considered sufficiently relaxed, or if the pains are dull; at the proper time the tissues always become sufficiently dilated, providing the parts are in a normal state—that is, bar a stricture in the vagina, or something of the kind—and if there is any abnormal condition, a warm or hot bath, in my opinion, does more harm than good by often checking the pains. Sometimes when the ergot fails to induce or stimulate the throes, I have applied with advantage to the abdomen an ice-bag; but what I find the best of all, when one or two subcutaneous injections of ergotine have not worked satisfactorily, is to put the bitch in some vehicle and give her a drive, and if nothing else will induce the labour pains this shaking up will do so in most cases. The worst of all, are those cases when the bitch is due to pup, the parts are relaxed, and there are no labour pains to expel the fœta. Examined per vaginum, no puppy can be felt, and no amount of excitement of the parts by passing a cold instrument into the passage, or injections of ergot, causes contraction of the womb. If the patient seems all right, it is best to wait some hours, during which time everything should be done to try and excite contraction of the parts. If the means taken do not succeed, then there is nothing to be done except the Cæsarean operation, as it is not safe to attempt delivery with forceps or the crotchet when the puppies cannot be felt with the finger.