38 PASSERINE PABBAEEET. 



America, where it is sufficiently common, but we have frequently seen 

 a bird that very closely resembled it in the woods of the basin of the 

 Murray river in Australia, which, by the way, we do not recollect to 

 have seen described by any author, Gould included, to whose works 

 we have had access. 



The Blue Wing has been very frequently bred on the continent, 

 especially by Dr. Buss, who obtained it in the third and fourth gener- 

 ation. Our own birds have, as yet, only produced eggs, although one 

 hen laid five, which were all fertile, and would have been hatched but 

 for a thunderstorm that broke over the district when they were nearly 

 ready to come out of the shell; whether the jar of the thunder killed 

 the wee birdies, or frightened their mother from the nest, and so the 

 eggs caught cold, who can tell? Yet she was not easily startled, and 

 sat so closely that she injured her health by her devotion to the family 

 that was not to be; and to such an extent that when we found the 

 eggs were spoilt, and removed them, the poor little hen drooped and 

 appeared so ill, that we took her out of the aviary with the double 

 object in view of nursing her up, and at the same time preventing 

 her from going to nest again until she was quite restored. 



But alas! 'the best laid schemes gang aft agley': poor Blue Wing 

 took the separation so terribly to heart, that after shrieking himself 

 hoarse, and dashing wildly about the aviary, in vain attempts to find 

 an avenue of escape, we turned her in again, when, so great was his 

 joy, he fell off his perch in a fit, in which he very nearly died: biit 

 after a few minutes he seemed to rally himself by an effort, and managed 

 to fly up to the perch upon which his wondering little wife was sitting*, 

 with something not very unlike tears in her usually bright black eyes, 

 and pressed himself as closely as possible to her side: in this situation 

 we left and found them after the lapse of some hours, when we dis- 

 covered that he was almost incapable of supporting himself upon his 

 feet, so we took the unfortunate little couple into the house, and — 

 let us draw a veil over the close of the sad, sad tragedy. — How one's 

 best intentions will miscarry now and then, and, where we meant 

 nothing but good, carry woe and desolation to the very objects of our 

 care. 



Strange to say, not only does the male Blue Wing, fond as he is 

 of his wife, not assist her in the weary task of incubation, but, as far 

 as we could discover, even feed her while she is sitting on her eggs, 

 which are usually four or five in number, roundish, and pure white: 

 the period of incubation would seem to be about eighteen days; and 

 there are said to be two or three broods in the year. 



These little birds are very frugal in their habits, preferring canary 



