. British birds. Birds. MOTES. THE LONGEVITY OF BIRDS. In your review of Mr. H. Eliot Howard's book I notice that you say {supra, p. 63) that it is not possible to believe that Wrynecks live for fifty to sixty years. May I ask why ? Given that a bird lives in perfectly natural conditions and never suffers from want of food or from excessive cold, what proof have we of the length of its life ? It is well known that a great many birds die on migration, many more die from starvation due to excessive cold and sudden deprivation of food, but of the length of life of such bud and seed-eating birds a
. British birds. Birds. MOTES. THE LONGEVITY OF BIRDS. In your review of Mr. H. Eliot Howard's book I notice that you say {supra, p. 63) that it is not possible to believe that Wrynecks live for fifty to sixty years. May I ask why ? Given that a bird lives in perfectly natural conditions and never suffers from want of food or from excessive cold, what proof have we of the length of its life ? It is well known that a great many birds die on migration, many more die from starvation due to excessive cold and sudden deprivation of food, but of the length of life of such bud and seed-eating birds as Bullfinches, Goldfinches, Yellow Buntings, etc., living in a temperate climate we know but little. I think one may assume that the life of a pinioned or caged bird would probably be shorter than that of one living under natural conditions, where its food supply never failed, and }'et the following instances of longevity amongst birds have occurred amongst those in my own collection. A Barbary Dove which has been in my possession for fifteen years was left me by an old woman who also owned it for fifteen years and who always told me that it was an old bird when it was given to her. It shows no sign of old age unless it be that the innumerable eggs laid by the young hen bird which fives with it are always infertile. The second case is that of a Chinese Goose which has been in the possession of the family for fifty-seven years. The third is a Pintail Drake which I bought twenty years ago and which was then an adult bird. It is well known that Eagles live to a great age. A few years ago we had in our possession the last of the White-tailed Eagles bred in Galloway. The bird was taken from the nest in 1852 and died in 1900. It was chained by the leg to a small hutch and lived forty-eight years under these miserable conditions. The Wryneck is dependent upon insect food but it leaves us early, and there is no reason why its food supply should fail. M. Bedford. [The whole subject of t
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