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Warbler (a bird of the year I think) sent by Mr. Sandy, and

a Lesser Whitethroat by Mr. Davison, were not without merit

taking the species into consideration.


Two good Nightingales stirred up the muse in the heart

of a gentleman near, perhaps a foreigner as I had difficulty in

following his speech, who told me (as I understood him) that

Nightingales on migration used to pass over his garden but not

stop there. One year he had a caged Nightingale in his garden ;

and two pairs of wild birds, attracted by the captive, instead of

passing on as in previous years, stopped for the season and

nested with him. Some country gentlemen may like to take

the hint. Mr. Plumbridge’s Jay, a good bird but dull of feather,

called out another story. A passenger, passing a caged Jay on

board ship, gave a violent sneeze. On the following day the

gentleman’s wife passed the bird, when it likewise began to

sneeze. In truth our Jay, although a poor talker, is a splendid

mimic. One fine Magpie, and another smaller, were also

present.


So far as the foreigners were concerned, not much atten¬

tion was paid to the class in which a bird was found. On this

point we can sympathize with Show Managers—so long as the

mistakes are made by mistake, which is not always the case.

But still it was necessary to make just one example, and thus to

uphold the principle of the thing, and accordingly a scapegoat

was found in the person of a Shining Parrakeet—which was not

in its wrong class. But here I can sympathize with the judge

also, who, as indignant as myself, could think of no better way

of inflicting punishment on its owner. I found the poor bird

hanging on by its eyelids to a slippery, ungraduated, much too

large bamboo perch, and afraid to wink for fear it might tumble

off backwards. If it was not the perch that made it look so miser¬

able, I can only suppose that it was troubled with a bad “ tummy-

ache” when I passed by. Besides, to have accepted the Shining

Parrakeet would have been to have condemned Mr. Sutton’s two

excellent Fijians which were in another class. And so it came to

pass that Mr. Sutton was rewarded with second and third prizes

for sending up two good birds, and Mr. Cole condemned in costs

and a Wg. Cl. for sending up a less excellent example :—really

an admirable system to work upon.


In class 55 there were but five exhibits, amongst which

were distributed four prizes and a V.H.C. This is reducing prize¬

giving to an absurdity. Might not some kind of sliding scale be

arranged, so that the number of prizes might bear some pro-



