The Endurance of Birds. 35 



a few of this species. Imt found them rather short-hved; at the 

 same time I slionld not class them as dehcate. Apparently this 

 species only reaches the full mature plumag-e by several stag-es 

 and some of my specimens were lost while passini,^ through one 

 or other of them. When my acquisitions arrived it almost 

 appeared as if they consisted of three or four species, as they 

 represented, all. or several, of the aforementioned changes 

 ( )f those that survived over a year and reached adult-plumage, 

 three at least were very dissimilar in plumage when they 

 reached me, and instead of pairs as I had hoped, all proved to 

 be males. Securing two hens later, from the same source, I 

 had hopes of an unusual breeding success, but it was not to be 

 for they made no attempt to nest. In late Autumn I took one 

 pair into the birdroom and left the others out of doors, but 

 unfortunately the whole of them died during the winter, and so 

 ended my experience with this species. 



So far as I remember, neither Mr. Suggett nor Mr. 

 Sutcliffe had any better luck than myself, though they had quite 

 a number of them. Incidentally. I think that the above 

 instance was .S". parva's first introduction to English aviculture 



As the species has not yet been bred in captivity in this 

 country I cannot state whether free breeders or not. Appar- 

 ently they are not free freeders, or among those in our three 

 aviaries (I think a few pairs also w'ent to other aviculturists) 

 there should have proved to be at least one breeding pair. 



Right or wrongly, I do not consider this species should 

 be left out of doors during" the wnnter. not, at any rate, in a 

 district where soil or atmosphere is humid. 



This w^ee Grosbeak is a pretty liftle chap when adult, a 

 colour arrangement of glossy black, w^arm brow^n, and white. 

 The female is clad in olive-brown, lighter on the under parts 

 Both sexes have the white speculum on their wings. 



It is a striking bird in the aviary, and is soon seen owing 

 to its contrasty plumage. It vivacious and alert. The male 

 has a sweet little song. 



Habitat. Texas to Mexico. 



