British Birds at tke Crystal Palace Show. 83 



reasonable amount of space in which to display their graces of 

 shape and carriage. In each of the above-mentioned classes, new 

 faces were seen behind the coveti'd first prize tickets. The win- 

 ning Song Thrush proved that even the most charming representa- 

 tive of the gentler sex is liable to be beaten should an Adonis of 

 the sterner sex put in an api>earance. " Border Queen " (2nd 

 prize for Mr. Bruce) has proved her m?rit by winning three firsts 

 at the Palace, but to-day just sujcumbed to a splendid male staged 

 by Mr. Fletcher. The winner in the JSTightingale class I thought 

 a verj' fine example of the species, and it was beautifully shown 

 by the Hon. Mrs. Bourke. 



Mr. Frostick's justly celebrated Dartford "Warbler scored easily 

 in the class for small resident species and annexed the Championship 

 Diploma for the best British bird. The perfect condition in which 

 this dainty little creature has appeared at various shows this season 

 does infinite credit to Mr. Frostick and his methods of feeding and 

 management. (A drawing of this bird by Mr. Goodchild and an 

 article from the pen of its owner were published in Bird Notes, 

 March, 1910). I hope Mr. Frostick will succeed in breeding the 

 Dartford Warbler in captivity, which I understand is one of his 

 ambitions. Mr. May's came second with an absolutely ^perfect 

 Golden Crested Wren. This Gold Crest has been house-moulted 

 five times by its owner, who is a past-master in the art of man- 

 aging delicate insectivorous birds, and it has regularly been either 

 first or second at the Palace Show. Yet there are people who hold 

 that bird-keeping is necessarily and essentially " cruel " 1 



In the class for small migratory birds, Mr. May's took both 

 1st and 2nd prizes, one of the best Wheatears seen for several 

 seasons leading the way, with a beautiful and perfect Yellow Wag- 

 tail as runner-up. A fine Great Grey Shrike scored for Mr. J. 

 M. Walsh, in the class for the larger insectivorous species. It 

 was claimed by a young Metropolitan enthusiast at £6, but unfor- 

 tunately sickened and died during the course of the show. Very 

 hard lines. A high price (£12 10s.) was also cheerfully paid by a 

 I'ii-d-lover from Huddersfield for the Dartford Warbler. Many other 

 British Birds, too, changed ownership, the most notable sales being. 

 Lesser Redpoll (1st) £3 3s., Siskin (1st) £4 10s. 6d. and Song 

 Thrush (1st) £2 5s., while Bullfinches, Goldfinches, Linnets, etc., 

 round aboud £2 in price were quickly snapped up. I heard, too, 

 on excellent authority, that for the fourth prize Waxwing no less a 

 sum than £13 was paid by its present owner, who noiW' klso num- 

 bers the Dartford Warbler amongst his stock. 



The rare-featherd birds are always interesting, and this year 

 the class was an excellent one, though containing nothing absolutely 

 novel, with one possible exception. The winner was a really beauti- 

 ful S'lver Starling, and an exceedingly pretty, almost White Gold- 

 finch stood second. The third prize bird, a fine White Song Thrush 

 enjoyed several hours of freedom on the Monday, being eventually 



