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It is the opinion of some naturalists that birds never die what is
called a natural death, but come to their end by some murderous or
accidental means; yet I have found sparrows and vireos in the
fields and woods dead or dying, that bore no marks of violence; and
I remember that once in my childhood a redbird fell down in the
yard exhausted, and was brought in by the girl; its bright scarlet
image is indelibly stamped upon my recollection. It is not known
that birds have any distempers like the domestic fowls, but I saw a
social sparrow one day quite disabled by some curious 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
of one wing there was a large tumorous or fungous growth that
crippled the bird completely. On another occasion I picked up one
that appeared well, but could not keep its centre of gravity when
in flight, and so fell to the ground.
One reason why dead birds and animals are so rarely found is, that
on the approach of death their instinct prompts them to creep away
in some hole or under some cover, where they will be least liable
to fall a prey to their natural enemies. It is doubtful if any of
the game-birds, like the pigeon and grouse, ever die of old age, or
the semi-game-birds, like the bobolink, or the "century living"
crow; but in what other form can death overtake the hummingbird, or
even the swift and the barn swallow? Such are true birds of the
air; they may be occasionally lost at sea during their migrations,
but, so far as I know, they are not preyed upon by any other
species.
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