BRITISH BIRDS. 
25O 
rently dead ; the cage was then placed at a proper 
diftance from the fire, when two of them only re- 
covered, and were as healthy as before — the reft 
died y the two remaining ones were allowed to 
wafli themfelves occafionally for a fhort time on- 
ly ; but their feet foon after became fwelled and in- 
flamed, which Mr P. attributed to their perching, 
and they died about Chriftmas : Thus the firft 
year’s experiment was in fome meafure loft. Not 
difcouraged by the failure of this, Mr P. determin- 
ed to make a fecond trial the fucceeding year, from 
a ftrong defire of being convinced of the truth re- 
fpedting their going into a ftate of torpidity. Ac- 
cordingly, the next feafon, having taken fome more 
birds, he put them into the cage, and in every re- 
fped purfued the fame methods as with the laft ; but 
to guard their feet from the bad effects of the damp 
and cold, he covered the perches with flannel, and 
had the pleafure to obferve that the birds throve 
extremely well, they fung their fong through the 
winter, and foon after Chriftmas began to moult, 
ivhich they got through without any difficulty, and 
lived three or four years, regularly moulting every 
year at the ufual time. On the renewal of their 
feathers it appeared that their tails were forked ex- 
actly the fame as in thofe birds which return here 
in the fpring, and in every refpeft their appearance 
was the fame. Thefe birds, fays Mr Pearfon, 
were exhibited to the Society for promoting Natu- 
ral Hiftory, on the 14th day of February, 1786, at 
