i8i 



" otlier Bullfinches and Greenfinches. Ruff's and Reeve's eggs got smashed 

 " by other birds. Have bred a few hybrid ducks, a good number of Cali- 

 " fornian and three Harlequin Quails. One hen Califoruian Quail has laid 

 '•every day since April 2nd, only missing two days (date of letter August 

 " 27///), and seems in perfect health ! 



" Hand rearing was a liitle more successful. I succeeded in rearing 

 "one Snipe from the egg {vide last issue); also the following young birds 

 "caught when about one week old were successfully reared: — one Green 

 " Plover, eight Ringed Plovers and one Green Woodpecker." 



ALBINO AND PIED BULLFINCHES! Our esteemed member, 

 Mrs. Warren Vernon, informs me that the ? of a pair she reared has a snow- 

 white cap, and numerous white feathers in the wing, its beak is yellowish 

 horn colour, and the bird is exceedingly handsome; the c? is a typical 

 specimen but very bright with an exceptionally brilliant breast. Mrs. 

 Vernon raises the query, would her hen paired with a normal male throw 

 any pied young ? I answered this in the negative, but I am rather inclined 

 since to qualify that statement, and to say that the majority of their 

 progeny would be of typical plumage, but that there would certainly be a 

 possibility of an occassional pied youngster. My reasons are these, in a 

 recent issue of Bird Notes I recorded a number of pied sparrows I had met 

 with in a given spot. I will be a little more precise and say that on my wa} T 

 to and from business I have to pass a small recreation ground, and that the 

 period lam speaking of covers last year and this. I have seen at least a 

 dozen specimens, and all more or less pied and so strikingly different that 

 it is impossible for me to have noted the same bird twice — all of them I 

 have seen on many occasions. Now as these are all confined to a small area 

 the question arises: have the pied birds seen in 1907 influenced their progeny 

 this year, in other words, are they responsible to any degree for the 

 additional specimens seen in 1908 ? If so, it would appear possible, that in 

 time one might hope to perpetuate such a variety — it would however, I feel 

 sure be the work of more than one lifetime before such became permanent. 

 Before leaving this topic, it may be of interest to record that I know of a 

 Pied Blackbird being carefully watched during one season, she was paired 

 to a typical male and all her young were of normal plumage. Mr. H. 

 Woruiald has a lovely albino Bullfinch <J pure white save for its pink breast. 



PEACEFUL DOVES {Geopelia tranquilla) : Our esteemed mem- 

 bers, Messrs. Teschemaker and Willford, have bred this species for the first 

 time in the United Kingdom, almost simultaneously, but on comparing 

 dates Mr. Willford takes the record by a few days. An account of his 

 success will appear in next issue. 



A CONSIGNMENT OF RARE BIRDS FROM NEW GUINEA 

 AND JAVA. Mr. Walter Goodfellow, who has on many previous occasions, 



