25S On Old Friends—a Reminiscence.


Being sound and healthy, I had hoped that the female

might survive for many a day, but it was not to be.


“ I have marked it well, it must be true,


Death never takes one alone, but two ;


Whenever he enters in at the door—


Be it palace of gold or cottage of thatch—


When going he leaves the door on the latch,


And conies again ere the year be o’er.”


I quote from memory, but to that effect wrote Longfellow. I am

not one of those who believe that a cast horse-shoe, the spilling

of salt, the walking under a ladder (if there be no fellow on it to

drop brickbats or water on to one’s head) have greater powers in

the world than the world’s Creator, so will confine the application

to the poor Bee-eaters, for five weeks and one day later I was

likewise mourning over the dead body of the female; and this is

how it happened.


During the long dark days of winter, she had battered

about a good deal, not being able to see clearly (p. 130), and had

broken the ends of most of her primaries, and thus was feeble

of flight. Being much more nervous than the male, she always

fared worse in this way than he did. They were as tame as

kittens; and on warm dry days I would carry them in my arms

like a couple of kittens and place them in the aviary for change

of air and scene. On June 22 last she was thus in the garden.

Mrs. Phillipps had been reading there, and when she came in

had left the Bee-eater comfortably perched upon a branch some

few feet off the ground and not many from the larger birds’

washing pan. About an hour later I went into the aviary to

carry her off to bed, and found her drowned in the pan. She

had evidently fluttered down from her perch and by an evil

chance doused into the water. From the state of the water and

around the pan she had evidently made a tremendous fight for

life, for she was no weakling ; but the legs of this species are

peculiarly short and feeble and she had not a chance, and there

was no one to help for I was not at my post.


Thus within six weeks I lost my two Bee-eaters, the most

troublesome but the most dear to me of all the birds. They were

so confiding, and trusted me so absolutely, and looked to me for



