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foreign BirDs at the IRational Show. 



The L.P.O.S. held their 49th Annual Show at the Crystal 

 Palace from Feb. 7th to nth, and it certainly was a success. The 

 Foreign section with which we are chiefly concerned, though not 

 a record, contained some rare and uncommon birds among the 

 129 entrants. The main features of interest for the general 

 public were the Birds of Paradise, neither of which were perfect, 

 so far as their tail plumes were concerned. Undoubtedly the 

 rarest bird present was the Rev. H. D. Astley's Purple-breasted 

 Parrot. Some of the more notable birds were as under: 



The Purple-breasted Parrot ( Triclaria cyanogastcr). 

 This specimen I believe to be, not merely the only one in 

 Great Britain, but the only one in Europe. It is a beautiful bird, 

 and bears a strong resemblance to the Eclectus, but it is fully one 

 third smaller than this bird. It is a South American bird, and 

 not a great deal is known concerning it, but it appears to be con- 

 fined to South Eastern Brazil. I did not take detailed notes 

 of its plumage, so can only roughly describe it. The general 

 body colouring was lustrous green, with a large patch of violet, 

 glossed purplish in the centre, on the abdomen. It has very 

 beautiful eyes of a ruddy-brown colour. The female lacks the 

 violet patch of the male, her plumage being unvaried green. 

 Judging by this specimen it is an amiable species ; it quite appre- 

 ciated be'ng fondled and having its poll scratched even by 

 strangers; it however did not impress one as being an intelligent 

 species. Purple-breasted is surely a misnomer, Purple-bellied if 

 not so euphonious is certainly more descriptive. It is also known 

 as the Violet-bellied and Azure-bellied Parrot. It is closely allied 

 to the Dusky and Hawk-headed Parrots which it ranks next to in 



the B.M.C., Vol. XX. 



a- •& # 



The Golden-breasted Bunting {Emberiza flaviventris). 

 Two of this beautiful species were exhibited, but Mr. 

 Bliss's bird was far and away ahead of its rival as regards 

 brilliancy of colour and condition. There are three if not more 

 species which practically only differ in the colour areas and in- 

 tensity of colouring, and I regret I did not take more careful 



