io8 



to write. But that few of these aviculturists have 

 insisted on the point is equally true, and that there is 

 need even now of this insistence on the part of some- 

 body or other is shown by the following passage, taken 

 from an article which appeared in the same magazine 

 last month from the pen of a prominent keeper of 

 birds, — "The one great danger to be guarded against 

 '*is — Fkesh Air! ! ! Say what you like, with delicate 

 '' birds, Fresh ah' kills, while a stuffy atmosphere, 

 "objectionable though it be, need not do so, nor need 

 "it sow the seeds of disease or impair the health." 



As regards the necessity of microscopical exami- 

 nation in correctly determining the cause of a bird's 

 death : — that is merely a corollary to Dr. Clarke's work, 

 and as such would be apparent to any medical man 

 with any knowledge of modern medical requirements. 

 So there again I can lay no claim to originality. 



These last two points belong therefore to anybody 

 and everybody who has ever read any modern medi- 

 cine or paid any attention to modern hygiene : the 

 first belongs in its entirety to Dr. Clarke. My part 

 has lain in recognizing truths when I saw them, and 

 in passing them on to others. With that lam content. 



COLOUR CHANGE IN THE SEPOY FINCH: 



— Mr. Castle-Sloane tells me that since he wrote the 

 paper which appeared in our last issue, the male bird 

 of his pair has lost its brilliant scarlet colour, and is 

 now of an orange yellow with more or less red 

 blotches. This change began to take place at the 

 beginning of the year, and did not seem to be accom- 

 panied by any change of feather. One is reminded 

 by this of some other birds in which red tends to be 



