50 
Obituary. 
i^eneral crowd. 
I first heard the youn.t; calling for food on August 20th 
and on September 3rd and 4th, all of them left the nest. 
These three young birds, though fed by iheir ])arents for twelve 
days after their exit from the nest, were seen to crack seed on 
the fourth day. 
Tlie juvenile plumage was very smilar to that of the 
adult, lint a little duller and greyer, the orange cheek-patches 
being small and somewhat indistinct : ni)per tail-coverts dull 
red; beak black; legs and feet grey. 
A'ery shortly after leaving the nest their beaks began to 
change, cheek-patches became slowly brighter, and the red on 
the rump and upper tail-coverts more intense red; and within six 
weeks of their leaving the nest they could be scarcely disting- 
uished from their ])arents; they had assumed almost the full 
brilliance of the adult, though their beaks had not reached full 
brilliance, and their tails still a little shorter than those of atlults 
This process preceded the moult and took place without the 
shedding of a feather. 
These young birds survived the following winter, and in 
the spring were sold with other surplus stock. The above 
instance has been my only success with this species, my whole 
attention l)eing given up to breeding softbills during this and the 
years preceding the war. 
<^ 
Obituary. 
W'e much regret to have to announce the death — killed in 
action — of our member, Lieut. V. 1 )awson-.Smith. The 
following account has been sent us by his sorrowing mother, 
and we are publishing, same as sent. — 
KILLED IN ACTION. 
I ).\\vs(ix-SMriii. — (Ml January iith, in Northern Jubaland 
during a native mutiny, Lieut. Frank Dawson-.Smith. 
King's African Rifles, the dearly-loved and only son of 
the Rev. C. and Mrs. Dawson-Smith, Nash Rectory, 
Stony-Stratford, Bucks. 
