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Vinacious Firefinch, which had only been in England a few 

 days. They were then healthy, though not very robust, and in 

 a few weeks they became perfectly strong and in fine plumage. 

 I kept them through the winter in anunheated bird-room, and 

 they are still alive and well. Of course, little or nothing can 

 be deducted from the story of two examples, but I know that 

 very many other of the Firefinches privately imported by 

 Dr. Hopkiusou have lived a long time in this country, and a 

 good many have been seen on the Show bench. 



May we not fairly draw the inference that the frightful 

 rate of mortality among tlie Firefinches imported by dealers is 

 due rather to the insanitary conditions in which they are kept 

 on the voyage and after their arrival in this country, than to 

 any inherent inabilitv to withstand the change of climate; 

 and that their delicacy consists not so much in a want of 

 ability to resist cold or to adapt themselves to a captive 

 existence in these Islands, as in a want of power to resist the 

 attack of an infectious and preventable disease.? 



And if this is trne in the case of the Firefinches, which are 

 the standing "awful examples "of "delicacy," is it not likely 

 to be true also of the Cordon Bleu, the Lavender Finch and 

 the Pintailed Nonpareil ? HORATio R. Fii:,r,MER. 



CHAFFINCH MIMICRY. 

 Sir, — 1 have in my outside aviary a cock Chaffinch and 

 two hen Greenfiuches. These were turned out in the early 

 spring together with a cock Greenfinch and a hen Canary, both 

 of which came to an untimely end. Recently we had been 

 mnch puzzled by a peculiar song apparently coming from 

 the aviary, which began with several short notes something 

 like a Chaffinch's note, but then abruptly ended with a long 

 Greenfinch trill. At first I thought it must be a Greenfinch in 

 the neighbouring slirubs, or else that one of the hen Green- 

 finches was singing, in either case a song much modified from 

 the ordinary. The Chaffinch sang at intervals clearly and 

 and well. To-day T solved the problem from the end of the 

 garden with the aid of a pair of field glasses. It was Mr. 

 Chaffinch all the while, for at times he sang his own notes and 

 then he would do the Greenfinch modification. It would be 



