70 



unfortunately they are not quite so robust as one 

 would like, and seem more than usually susceptible to 

 cold and draughts. 



My first pair went off suddenly within a few 

 days of each other, having been in my possession a 

 little over three months, and others which I subse- 

 quently had never seemed to have a conie-to-stay look 

 about them. They had their choice of several seeds, 

 besides ants' eggs, dried flies, millet, and grass in the 

 ear, and mealworms ; but I often caught them at the 

 bottom of the cage turning over the sand and grit, 

 as if looking for something they could not find — for I 

 never noticed them eat any of the sand. Whether 

 this act was merely an amusement, however, or 

 whether their dietary was not sufficiently varied I 

 cannot sa}^ but the latter seems to be the more reason- 

 able hj^pothesis. I think one bird lived about ten 

 monlhs — which was the longest — and then died quite 

 as suddenly as the first pair. This dying suddenly 

 appears to me to strengthen the theory of lack of 

 suitable nourishment : their constitution carried them 

 through a certain period — more or less according to 

 the vigour of the individual bird — and then breaking 

 point was touched, when they collapsed like a house 

 of cards. 



[Seed eaters of all kinds may be seen picking over 

 the sand and seeds at the bottom of the cage when 

 very ill of almost any disease, and this symptom I 

 think may be taken as a sign that they are beyond 

 recovery. An adequate post vwi'tem examination of 

 these Lavender Finches would have revealed the par- 

 ticular disease of which they died. 



In common with other seed eaters these birds 



