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It is the opinión oí aorne naturalista tliat birda never dio a natural deatb, but come to their oud by somo nmrderous accidental naeans; yet I have found sparrows and vireos in the fields and woods dead or dying, that bore no marks of violence ; and I remeniber that once in my chüdhood a red-bird feil down in the yard exhausted and was brought in by the girl; its brighi scarlefc imago is indelibly stanrped upon my recollection. It is not known that birds have any diaterapers like tha doniestic fowls, but I saw a social sparrow ono day quite disabled by somo curkms malady, that suggested a disease that sometimes attacks poultry; one eye was nearly put out by a scrofulous-looking sore, and on the last joint or one wing there .was a large tumorons of fungoiis growth that crippled the bird ootnpletely. On another occasion I picked up one that appeared well but could not keep its center of gravity when in flight, and so feil to the round. One reason why dead birds and animáis are so rarely fouud is, that on the approach of death their instinct prompts them to creep away in sorae hole or under some cover, whero they would be least liable to fall a prey to their natural enemies. It is doubtful if any of the game bird.?, like the pigeon and grouse, ever die of oíd age, or the semi-gamo birds, like the bobolink, or the " centuryliving " crow; but in what other form can death overtake the humming-bird, or even the swif t and the barn-awallow ? Such are the true birds of the air ; thuy niay be occasionally lost at sea during their migrations, but, so far as I kuow, they are not preyid upon by any ofcher