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Finch are blue with a spot or two of purple at the larger end.

Did my hen lay abnormal eggs ? (Y)


Mr. Oates, one of our members, has seen the eggs, and if

the one clear egg survives, (c) I hope to send it to Dr. Butler to

look at.


I soon saw, when the hen began to sit, that like Humpt}^

Dumpty who sat on the wall, my poor little friend would, unless

I did something to avert the catastrophe, “ have a great fall.”

The mere weight of her body made the nest lean over in the

most ominous manner ; and I saw that if it were to survive,

artificial strengthening would have to be resorted to. Now there

may be readers who, when they read what follows, will cry in

derision, Credat Judseus! but as Bret Harte makes one of his

characters say somewhere, “ My name is truthful Janies,” at any

rate for this occasion. Seeing that the nest was giving way in

its supports—remember it was onty suspe?ided by thin strands of

grass from the branches—I determined that I would try a

Caesarian operation. Probably in America the Indigo Finch can

find tougher material for “ suspensors ” than I can find in

Yorkshire. I went indoors and found my wife’s workbox. I

selected a needle of ‘fair proportions’ and with an eye that 1 a

camel might go through ’ ; some stout black thread that would

hold a healthy Zebra ; and after spending some hours of patient

effort, I succeeded in threading it. Then I hurried off to the

aviary and to the aid of poor Mrs. Indigo. I found her bravely

sitting but in what I cannot but think must have been a painful

position, as her head was down and her tail was up, and I saw

that if things went on as they were doing, the precious eggs

must fall to the ground by the attraction of gravity. I looked at

the little hen and I said to myself, “ I wonder if you will stand

what I am going to do. It is for your good and the welfare of

your coming family, therefore pardon me.” I put out my finger

and she skipped off with her little crest erect and hopping on to

a neighbouring branch, anxiously awaited developments. I was

as quick and handy as a man could be with such a clumsy

weapon as a needle to handle and a long bit of thread.


I passed the threads through the nest to act as ‘ suspensors ’

until like Johnny Gilpin, ‘ I made the balance true.’ It took a

bit of time, but then I am not a good hand with needle and



(&.) Mr. Farrar does not appear to possess m3' “ Foreig-11 Finches in Captivity,” or

he would see that on p. 58 I say of the egg's : “ they are mostly bluish-white, though some¬

times they are sparingly spotted and blotched with rusty brown.” — A. G. B.


(c). It got broken by the younggtjsrs.—C. D. F.



