237 



causing these fatalities they are actually slowly 

 tending- to ultimately bring about a condition of 

 complete or nearly complete immunity from septi- 

 caemia on the part of their birds, exactl}^ in the same 

 way as we have seen that the negro has attained to it 

 in connection with yellow fever. But this complete 

 immunity will not be arrived at yet ; in matters 

 pertaining to evolution " a thousand years are but a 

 day," as witness the relationship that even now exists 

 between septicaemia and our domesticated fowls and 

 pigeons. Nevertheless, the Canarj- has progressed a 

 considerable portion of his journey towards the 

 ultimate goal, and this fact alone would point to the 

 date of his first domestication being one of consider- 

 able antiquity, though not sufficiently far back for him 

 to find a place in the stone literature, or even in the 

 papyri, alongside of the gallinacese and columbidse. 



For the purpose of throwing a side light on this 

 process of attaining immunity, let us here consider 

 the relative positions of the Grey Parrot and some 

 other members of the order Psittaci as they exist 

 to-day. The former bird would probably breed freely 

 enough in this country if we took sufficient pains 

 to encourage it ; but in view of its great strength, 

 its destructive proclivities, the difficulty of putting up 

 true pairs witli any degree of certaint}^ and the 

 necessity for a good deal of room for each pair, we 

 prefer to obtain our solitary house companions by 

 means of the purchase of specimens brought in from 

 their natural wild life and habitat. Result? Well, 

 I have it on the authority of Dr. T. W. Greene that 

 by one dealer alone there ai^e imported eighty thousaiid 

 per anniun, besides those that come over lender the 

 aicspices of the iiiLmerous other importers. How mau}^ of 

 these birds find their ultimate resting place in kitchen 

 and parlour? Ask the dealer how many he burns — 

 ask the buyers how many they bury, and then we shall 



