Old Friends—a Reminiscence.



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OLD FRIENDS-A REMINISCENCE.


By Reginald Phillipps.


In 1902, in the April May and June numbers of the

Avicultural Magazine, I gave an account, which was accom¬

panied by a coloured plate, of a pair of immature Bee-eaters,

Merops apiaster, that had come into my possession on September

20 of the previous year. The male died in the early morning of

May 17, 1905, having lived in captivity about three years and ten

months, and in my possession nearly three years and eight

months, a remarkable record when one considers that he had

passed his little life in London where natural food, except spas¬

modically, was unobtainable, and where light, without plenty of

which he could not see to feed, is at a minimum during four or

five months out of every twelve.


The bird died from some form of tubercle or wasting of

the intestines, probably caused by an insufficiency of natural

food, or possibly from something he had swallowed, as he would

gulp down almost anything that was large enough to be man-

dibulated by the bill of a Bee-eater and small enough to pass

down his gullet. The female, on the contrary, was always a very

shy feeder, and never suffered in this way. Perhaps during the

dark winter months I too often favoured her when I lighted on a

tit-bit—to the detriment of the male.


The deceased bird was always slim active and talkative,

and by day or night would call eagerly to me whenever he heard

my footsteps; and I was slow to perceive that he was seriously

ill; but his calls became so urgent, and he would dash against

the wires of his six-foot cage in his endeavours to get to me if I

did not immediately open the door, and then would follow me

about with such persistence that at length I became aware that

he was appealing to me for help, and was following me in the

hopes that I might give him relief. This is one of the saddest

and most pathetic things in connection with making pets of

birds—they think we can do everything for them, they look upon

us as their god, when so often one is absolutely powerless to give

them the assistance for which they crave.


On the night of May 16, the male left or fell from his



