124 Correspondence. 



A l)ad start, liowevor ; too mucli rain ami cold, 

 (icrv, iM-aiicc, April 27, 1922. A. i:iXuL'X. 



The above was not a letter written for publication, but part of a private 

 letter, which we have taken the liberty of publishing. ^Ed. 



SENILE DECAY. 

 Sir. — The Post Mortem Report given below is interesting to nie as -t 

 is the first case 1 have ever known of a bird dying of jmre old age. The 

 r.M. report is as follows : 



" Versicolor Amazon to hand. I think your estimate of its age is 

 " not far out. I very carefully examined this bird and could Ihid no trace 

 " of any disease. The cause of death is senile decay, simply. lie was the 

 " toughest old customer, 1 think. 1 have ever tackleil. His hide was as 

 " tough as a Rhinoceros, and the flesh equally tough." 



One often reads of Ijirds dying of old age, but in practically every 

 case it is merely an assumption on the part of the owner, no examination 

 of the body having been made. Old age may be a contributory cause, but 

 i' is seldom the only cause, and often has nothing to do with the l)ird"s death 

 at all. 



The Versicolor was for many years in the possession of Lord Sherborne 

 (Canon Button), and previously had been owned by a lady. As long as I^ord 

 Sherborne lived at Bibury, the parrot .spent the greater part of the .summer 

 at liberty in the garden. When his owner moved to Cheltenham, these 

 summer outings were no longer possiljle. and with the loss of his liberty 

 ' Jaco " began to show signs of age. On the death of my frienci he came 

 to me, but was so decrepit in the earl)- summer of 1920 that 1 thought lie 

 could only last a few weeks. I turned him out as a sort of forlorn hope, 

 and, to my surprise, found that he could fly quite strongly. Me imi)roved 

 greatly, and when I caught him up in October, was quite strong again. I 

 kept him in a room that winter, and when I turned him out next spring 'le 

 was too robust, as he nearly killed the cock Great-billed Parrakeet. and 

 started courting the hen ! I was therefore obliged to put him in an aviary 

 with a hen (ioulding's Amazon. They soon took to one another, and the 

 X'ersicolor fed her and they even examined a nest-box. 



When winter came 1 put him back in a room, but after a few months 

 the Versicolor caught a severe chill and had to be caged in a warm place. 

 The close confinement proved too much iov him. and some time later he 

 i^rew very weak and died. 



Had it not been for his ill-judged attack on the (ireat-bill. I believe he 

 would be still alive, as another .summer's freedom would have fortified him 

 against winter ailments. He remained in good plumage up to the last. 

 Havant, April 2S, 1922. (Lord) TAVISTOCK. 



I'IRSTFRUITS OF THE SILASOX. 



Sir, — The birtls are doing fairly well to date. iloth paiis of Ouail 

 binches are incubating. Three pairs of Zebra Finches have young. 



Pairs of Long-tailed, Masked, and Rufous-tailed Crasslinchcs : Chestnut- 

 breasted, and Rufous-backed Mannikins are all busy building. 



White Java Sparrows. Cuban and Red-headed Finches are incubating. 



