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Little notice was taken of her after she had been left alone with

no one to murder. Neither mealworms, cockroaches, nor dainties

fell to her lot; she had to fare as best she might and rough it

with all the rough ones of the miscellaneous aviary ; and yet her

feet have not been exhibiting any signs of tenderness for quite a

long time past.


The one that came to me with sound feet is the male I

have already referred to as the “best” of the lot.


The first death in order of time was in connection with

these swollen feet. The murderess in esse and another female

were together in a cage in my dining room, both with bad feet:—

they were too ill to quarrel. They were being specially treated

with fluid magnesia and taraxacum, and externally with sperma¬

ceti ointment. Occasionally I would open the door of their cage

and allow them the run of the room; and the softness of the carpet

was unquestionably acceptable. On January 21, I noticed marks

of profuse bleeding. The murderess had, with returning health,

recovered her natural vindictiveness, and given chase to her

companion ; and a swollen foot of the latter had burst, and the

bleeding had been very serious. Direct^ I noticed what had

■occurred, I caged the sufferer and carefully nursed her, and the

next morning she seemed very much as usual. Then I made a

fatal mistake, for which I cannot be too severely censured. The

bird was an invalid ; and if I had continued to treat her as an

invalid all would have been well. Again I let them both out

together, loose in the room, not having at that time fully

realized the nature of the Pitta. All was quiet at lunch time,

but, some two hours later, I found that the sick bird had been

pursued to such a condition of faintness and exhaustion that all

efforts to revive her were fruitless, and she died from collapse,

owing to the loss of blood, a few hours later. This bird’s life was

thrown away, a consequence, not (as I am often told by one who

ought to know) of my having too many birds, but just from want

of space.


How easy it is to be wise after the event ! How little did I

dream when I received these four Pittas with so much pride and

satisfaction that such a mournful story was before me ! Pride

•coineth before a fall. One must buy one’s experience.


I have referred incidentally to the Pitta being a nuisance

when kept with other birds. It is in a sense a bold and forward

•species, and always helps itself to the best of everything.

And it does not stop at this, for, standing in the food as it usually



