20 



Dark 3'ellow and dark buff Goldfinch - Canary 

 classes were small in numbers compared with what I 

 have seen here, but the winners were found fairl}^ well 

 I think. Stoutness, good shape and size (with good 

 feather and colour) made up the birds for top tickets — 

 the winning 3'ellovv being one of the best I have seen 

 for many a day ; and but for a missing hind claw nail, 

 and age, would not have been long unclaimed. 



Dark Greenfinches were not over strong ; and 

 although some nice birds were there, there was not a 

 bird with anything like the " short, chubb}^ chest, short 

 tail and flights" of the bird I like for a Greenfinch Mule. 

 A fair lot of Yellows — sweet birds, but none so large 

 as the\^ can be got. 



Dark Linnets were a most interesting lot. Is it 

 fair for those Cinnamons to be here ? Should they 

 not go in the A.O.V. Class and fight it out with some- 

 thing else just as rare? They frighten away good 

 normal coloured birds. The second prize bird, a 

 dark yellow, good all round, a champion on its own 

 grounds — larger, stouter, grand feather and colour — 

 with absolutel}^ no fault except that it is jiormal coloured. 

 Oh, the pity of it ! to be thus normal ^^/^z<;r instead of 

 rare or Cinnamon. By the way, why allow these Cin- 

 namon Mules along with ordinary ones, more than 

 Cinnamon or rare feathered British birds with the 

 normal specimens of their species — when a Class is 

 provided for them ? I liave no prejudice against these 

 rare coloured Mules, but ask for fairness for the normal 

 ones — that is all. 



Siskin, etc., got together 16 entries, and I noticed 

 the winner to be an exceptionally fine 5^ello\v Siskin 

 Mule, far the best of the lot, but far behind those two 

 beauties Air. Lambert Brown used to show us. 



Ah ! those Canary-Bullies. The two now well- 

 known ones have been seen and heard of before : 

 the Cinnamon bird is thought by some to be a 



