i83 



of tlie story I give in tlie owner's own words. In a 

 week or two the bird was sent back, as the owner says, 

 " practically cured. It was fatter, though still rather 

 " thin, and the acute swelling of the joints was gone, 

 *' nothing remaining except a slight thickening of the 

 "bone in one hind toe-joint. It is now going strong. 

 " As soon as I got the advice I applied it to the Night- 

 " ingale, and he almost immediately began to improve, 

 " and is now completely well, though the disease has 

 " left him minus a claw. Neither of the birds had any 

 ** medicine whatever."* 



It will be seen that the cure of these examples of 

 the so-called gout consisted simply of local cleanli- 

 ness as regarded the affected parts, thereby preventing 

 the continued multiplication of microbes, the while 

 that the birds had plenty of that form of nitrogenous 

 food which was necessary to the due maintenance of 

 their vital power, i.e. their power of resisting bacterial 

 toxins. 



(To be continued.) 



ITbe Ibawfiucb. 



By NORDOVICENSIS. 



^^>^ HE Hawfinch is a bold handsome bird, rather 



i(^ smaller than a Thrush. His colours are not 



^-^ brilliant, as they are mostly of various shades 



of brown, fawn, and grey, with a certain 



amount of black and white. In addition to the large 



strong beak the Hawfinch has one peculiarity which 



distinguishes it from all other British birds, i.e. the 



secondary quills are curiously formed, being widened 



and shaped at the end like the old-fashioned bill-hook. 



In the wild state it is very shy, and in consequence 

 is perhaps more often heard than seen. In some 

 parts of the country it is fairly common, and is I 



* Bird Notes. Vol. III. Page 216. 



