Aviciiltnral Experiences. 
95 
keep them warm. Of course seed easily accessible, is given 
inside the caye. The grit can be left in the cage longer each 
day until, say, after a week, I co\er the cage bottom with it. 
The water should be changed very often, as after the birds have 
had a drink and a feed they usually take a bath, and the fouled 
water should be removed. Always assume that fresh arrivals 
from a dealer are suffering from inflammation of the bowels. 
Treat accordingly and you will not go far wrong, and it is 
certain you will avoid many vexatious losses. 
I cannot do better than quote from my note book on one 
particular lot. These were privately imported by Mr. Sutcliffe 
and myself in 1908 from Mexico, on a sailing ship. They were 
the first and, I believe, the only ones of t'leir kind to reach this 
country, and from an aviculturpj point of view verv desirable 
b.-rs: — 
DO.MINICO Ok P.VR\'.\ FIXCM. 
Spcnuopiiila parva. 
Oct. 14th, 1908. The J ohn arrived at Grimsby with 32 birds of this 
species — 15 of them black and white, an J 17 brown ones. The majority were 
in very bad feather and health, and one of each kind died on the i6th, and 
another brown one on the iQtli. Porter, the mate, bought them as males 
and females, but I sunt the two which died on the i6tli to Mr. \V. T. Page, 
who thought ihe brown one was also a young male, and this oi>inion w;is 
confirmed by tlie British Museum Authorities; however, to make sure. Mr. 
Page had the bodies dissected, and the dissection proved conclusively that 
both were males. Nearly all the brown ones have buff tips to their wing- 
coverts, which are said to be lacking 'n the female. I think there are only 
two or three which do not possess these buff tips, and as they are so rough 
in plumage it cannot yet be decided; at any rate twenty of them are males. 
Many of the black and white ones have traces of immature plumage. 
Oct. 21st. The weather is cold, and at nights ;i little oil stove i> lit, 
i)ccaijse many of them are half naked and shiver when the temperature is 
below 50 degrees : I have no doubt that several of them will die, many of them 
sit huddled on the perches and take little interest in anything. 
They are quarrelsome with each otiier, and I have l)roken 
licm into as small lots as possible. They are said to be fine 
■i"! gsters, and, I believe that this is the first importation of 
iivn.t4 birds. The iriate of the J ohn got tliem froiu the extreme 
IT of the coast of the Province of Campeachy in the Gulf 
of Mexico, 
