Pintail Nonpareil. 
9 
'^ei his adult plunia.^e, lie has l)een sin^iui;- liis weak. l)Ut shrih, 
little .son,^' to-day. 
May 15th. The catted hen is now eatini^' a fair quantity 
of canary seed and, i)erhai)s, a little less paddy rice. 
May 24th. Put the hen outside to-day. 
June loth, 1908. The pintails are rather shy. and 1 do 
not see them often. The male seems chan.nhi.i;- to adult 
pluma.^e fairly quickly now. 
Au.i^ust 13th. iyO(S. The male has not made the slij^htest 
progress with his adult pluma!.^e since June loth. Both are 
liealthy and lively. 
August 31st. The male appears to he moulting; he is 
not yet in adult plumage. 
Septemher 22nd. 1908. The male has almost completed 
his moult and is now in full adult plumage. 
Septemher 29th. The hen has been very mopy lately, and 
to-day she allowed me to get so near to her that I could see that 
the ends of her mandibles have grown much beyond their proper 
length, and are crossed like the mandibles of the Crossbill ; her 
upper mandible is also much split. She will no doubt eventually 
die as she will not be able to husk her seed properly. I believe 
this abnormal growth of the beak is common in captive birds of 
this species. 
October 12th, 1908. The hen has been getting weaker 
an.d more reluctant to leave the seed dish day by day so I have 
caged her and trimmed her beak up a little. The male is in 
splendid condition and sings all day. The hens do not appear 
to have such strong constitutions as the cocks. 
October 15th. I think the hen is improving a little. 
October 17th. The hen died this morning. 
November ist, 1908. Put the cock into the birdroom 
flight for the winter. 
April nth, 1909. Put the cock outside to-day: he is in 
splendid condition. 
May 24th, 1909. The Pintail Nonpareil goes to rest 
earlier than any other bird in the aviary; he will take up his 
perch for the night, even when the sun is shining briglitly. He 
is in full moult and almost naked about the head. 
June 19th. He appears to be through the moult, and is 
singing again. 
