The Endurance of Birch. 35 



heat of any description, and very many of the others do well in 

 a "go as you please" out-door aviary all the year round ; for 

 instance, a pair of Blue Tanagers {T . cpiscopus) so lived in 

 my aviary ir and loj years respectively, Archbishop, Scarlet, 

 Black, Palm, and Maroon have proved similarly long-lived; 

 but I must not anticipate the longevity list. Individual avi- 

 culturists do hiuch 'to modify weather conditions, according to 

 the particular season, by, applying such paraphernalia as Arch- 

 angel toats, garden lights, etc., to exposed parts of A\c aviary, 

 and the individual who is prepared co take pains ace omplishes 

 what another fails to achieve. 



The vicissitudes of bird-life are not confined to our 

 aviaries; true, our greatest foe is unseasonable weather, but 

 our feathered friends in their native wilds have to 

 pass through similar experiences. I well remember 

 reaiding sadly a few years ago in an American orni- 

 thological journal words to this effect. " I womleved 

 " what had become of our Blue Birds, none were visiting my 

 " lawn, nor were they in evidence in the district generally as 

 " usual. I visited some well known nesting sites, there were 

 " no birds, or only strays. I climbed to investigate, and 

 " from several such nest holes visited, I took five, si.x or more 

 ' pitiful dead bodies, all having perished during the recent 

 " severe, unseasonable weather — from all over the districts 

 " reports of the scarcity of Blue Birds come in." Similar 

 conditions prevail among our native birds during unseasonable 

 periods — the evidence of dead bodies can be found if really 

 looked for. DuringI 191 5 in my garden here I picked up 

 from twelve to a score of bodies, plumage in exhibition 

 trim and no signs of injury; the species were mostly 

 Thrushes, Blackbirds, and Starlings; I casually opened and 

 examined some of them and found evidences of pneumonia, 

 enteritis, and in one instance cheesy nodules, pointing to some 

 septic trouble. But 1 am getting off' the track and iiiust now 

 leave it to my next instalment to return thereto. 



{To be continued). 



