146 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



at that distance for a minute or so, attentively 

 regarding it, I saw it put out one wing and turn 

 over on its side. I at once took it up in my 

 hand, and found that it was already quite dead. 

 It was a large example of its species, and its size, 

 together with a something of dimness in the glossy 

 purple colour of the upper plumage, seemed to 

 show that it was an old bird. But it was unin- 

 jured, and when I dissected it no trace of disease 

 was discernible. I concluded that it was an old 

 bird that had died solely from natural failure of 

 the life-energy. 



But how wonderful, how almost incredible, that 

 the healthy vigour and joy of life should have 

 continued in this individual bird down to within 

 so short a period of the end; that it should have 

 been not only strong enough to find its food, but 

 to rush and wheel about for long intervals in 

 purely sportive exercises, when the brief twilight 

 of decline and final extinction were so near! It 

 becomes credible — we can even believe that most 

 of the individuals that cease to exist only when 

 the vital fire has burnt itself out, fall on death in 

 this swift, easy manner — when we recall the fact 

 that even in the life-history of men such a thing 



