II



on aviculture. “ Foreign Finclies in Captivity ” does not

pretend to be a scientific book, but aviculturists may rest

assured that they will find in it nothing ^scientific.



Accidents to Birds.


An anonymous article in the CornhillMagazine for October,,

under the above heading, contains some very curious fadts about

birds.


“ It seems almost incredible that a bird should break its wing in mid¬

air by the mere exertion of flight; yet four such accidents have been

reported within the last two or three years. A gentleman, whilst out quail¬

shooting near the Pyramids, flushed an owl, and mechanically raised his

gun, without any intention of firing, when, to his utter surprise, the bird

twisted in its flight and fell to the ground as if shot. On examination, the

astonished sportsman discovered that the poor owl had broken its wing.”


That immense numbers of migratory birds are killed by

dashing themselves against the glass of light-houses, is, of course,

well known; and also that many birds are killed or injured by

flying against telegraph wires. But some of the other accidents

recorded are very unusual.


“Although swallows are such wonderfully quick-sighted birds, and

can change the diredtion of their flight with amazing rapidity and ease, it

occasionally happens that they either do not perceive the danger lying in

their path or are not quick enough to avert it, for I have once or twice,

whilst fly-fishing for trout, accidently knocked down and stunned a swallow.

Several instances have been recorded of the poor bird being struck and

killed by golf-balls, and in one case at least even by a cricket ball. Petrels

and other sea-birds have been known to collide whilst in mid-air aud drop

into passing boats.”


“ If the little white-throats happen to cross the Channel on their

spring migration whilst there is any ‘sea on,’ (to use a nautical phrase) they,

fly so low that many of them are knocked down by the scudding spray and

perish.”


“ Many strange accidents have occurred to birds whilst feeding. An

Irish naturalist once observed a Dunlin behaving very curiously on the sea¬

shore. The bird rose in the air and flew for a short distance, then alighted

and shook its head violently in a vain endeavour to detach aroundlump observ¬

able upon its bill. The encumbrance proved to be a cockle which the

Dunlin had found open, and, in innocently attempting to negociate, had

been trapped by it.”


“ Birds that employ hair in the building of their nests sometimes come

to grief by hanging, but I should say very seldom indeed in the following

singular manner: A gentleman who had a number of colts upon his farm

one day noticed a small bird entangled in the long hair of the tail of one

of them. The little creature had evidently been in search of material

wherewith to line its nest, and by some unaccountable accident had

become ensnared in the unkempt hair of the colt’s tail.”


“ Finally, it may not be unfitting to glance for a moment at the way

in which birds regard accidents to each other. I have seen them so devoted



