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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph courtesy U. S. Bureau of Mines 

 COAL MINERS STAKE THEIR LIVES ON A CANARY'S DELICATE LUNGS 



A rescue crew tests for the presence of poisonous carbon mono:^ide by lifting the caged bird 

 close to the roof where the noxious but odorless gas accumulates. If the bird shows distress, imme- 

 diate steps are taken to vacate and ventilate that section of the mine. Mechanical detectors also 

 are widely used to show the presence of dangerous components in underground air. On their backs 

 the men wear o.xygen breathing apparatus. 



Great was our consternation when the tiny 

 strawberry finches in an instant darted into 

 the cage and out between the wires on the 

 other side, to take refuge hke two little mice 

 beneath a table. 



With some maneuvering they were captured 

 and placed again in the cage more carefully, 

 then left undisturbed for a time. Before long 

 they adopted the new home and from then on 

 made no attempt to leave. In fact, when 

 startled, they usually took refuge in the bot- 

 tom, where they seemed to feel secure in the 

 shelter of the muslin screen around the lower 

 section of the wires. 



Until the death of the female from some 

 obscure cause a few months later, the two 

 were tractable but timid; from that time on 

 the male seemed to enjoy human attention and 

 remained a household pet for years. His beau- 

 tiful warbling song, heard when all was still 

 about him, was unusually attractive, the more 



so, perhaps, because it was not repeated con- 

 stantly. 



In aviaries scores of strawberry finches may 

 live together, perching in pairs or little groups 

 and nestling against one another contentedly. 

 Sometimes they fill a foot or more of a branch 

 or perch, chattering and preening, or resting 

 quietly. Newcomers to the line often light on 

 the backs of their companions and push and 

 crowd their way down to the perch. 



The females remain plain in color always, 

 but the males change plumage twice a year, 

 the white-spotted, red feathers of the nest- 

 ing period being replaced for several months 

 by a plain, dull dress much like that of the 

 female. 



In its native home, from India to Java, the 

 strawberry finch, or amadavat ( Amaudava 

 amandava). ranges in thickets and grasslands 

 as well as about villages. The nests are small, 

 neatly made balls of fine grass suspended in 



