The Bio-Club.



283



and I would not advise anyone to go on quest of something rare or

beautiful to any of these Islands, for only disappointment will be the

result; there are no aviary birds of any kind except in the Fijis.

I remember having been in the Loyalty group nearly 30 years ago

and I cannot of course remember what birds I saw then, but a

friend tells me that another kind of parrot-finch exists there and he

promised to try and get me some skins. The way things are at

present I might have to wait for ever, my friend having gone to the

war.



THE BIO-CLUB.


[A New French Association for Lovers of Nature],


The Editor has received a letter from the Comte de Segur

from Paris, asking him to make known to avicultu kv. nd all lovers

of birds the existence of the Bio-Club.


He writes :—“ A group of French amateurs who are in touch

“ with the government and acting in accordance with its expressed

“ desire, have asked me to join them in a concern formed by them-

“ selves just before the war, and called the Bio-Club, the aim of

“ which is to assist each other in the formation and development of

11 their collections of living creatures, and also of rare plants, etc."


“ With the help, financial and otherwise, of the French

“ government, we shall be enabled, as soon as the war is over and

“ vessels can once more travel in safety, to import rare birds and

“ plants from the French colonies, many of which are as yet unknown

“ in our collections.”


“ The intention of the Club is to distribute birds amongst

“ those amateurs who possess the most prosperous and best set-up

“ aviaries, conservatories, private Zoos, and so forth, entirely free

“ of charge. All that the Bio-Club asks in return for such gifts is

“ that amateurs should keep the Society informed as correctly and

“ minutely as is possible, of the results obtained, reproduction

“ achieved (if any), and in general of any observations of their

“ own upon the creatures, etc., received from the Club. Occasion-

“ ally arrangements would be made for duplicates to be exchanged



