153 



was bred between cock Canary and hen Bullfinch. Our 

 fellow nieniber and Judge, Mr. C. Houlton (who, I am 

 sorry to hear, is still very ill) maintained from the first 

 that it was genuine, and time has proved him to be 

 right. The bird in question has joined the great 

 majority, but its place has been filled by the specimen, 

 undoubtedly genuine, bred by Mr. Pratt, who, I am 

 pleased to know, has again bred a fine specimen of the 

 same cross from, I l)elieve, the same parents; also a very 

 good specimen of the Goldfinch-Bullfinch cross. 

 (7t> he Continued). 



IN SEARCH OF A MADAGASCAR WEAVER. 



For the last two years I have been trying, more or 

 less energetically, to obtain a cock Madagascar Weaver, 

 and our advertisement columns will bear record that I 

 am still trying. 



I wonder if any of our members have experienced a 

 like difficulty in fulfilling such an innocent dssire. If thev 

 have, I sincerely sympathise with them : while, if they 

 have not, an account of my adventures may not perhaps 

 be uninteresting. INIy story will at least show that a 

 species which was comparatively common a few years 

 ago, suddenly ceased to be imported, but for what 

 reason I could never discover. I have asked several 

 dealers their opinion, and only remember two getting 

 beyond the "don't know" stage : one suggested that, as 

 now most foreign birds are shipped to the continental 

 ports, such as Marseilles, Antwerp, etc, the Madagascars 

 are eagerly snapped up b}' foreign dealers, as there is a 

 good demand for them on the Continent. Once, he 

 continued, nearly all foreign birds used to come to 

 England, and were then re-shipped to the Continent, so 

 that we had the pick; but those days have gone by, 

 never to return, he was afraid. The other importer 

 volunteered the startling information that "They don't 

 come over now," — a fact which I have proved to be only 

 too true, 



