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yell; “ It’s—a—fine—day ! ” Well now, that just reminds me of

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. “ Wark ! ” he yells.


“ Wey,” she replies, in a milder way with her head on one side.

“Wark, wark, wark,” he yells; “ why-don’t-you-listen-to-what’s-

said-to-you, you-old-idiot; if you are deaf why don’t you go to

a doctor?” And poor Sheba subsides—for a time.


I am rather vain of these Cockatoos; and I naturally

desire to show them off, but meet with very little encouragement;

indeed my friends say quaintly but forcibly that, if I do not

get rid of them they shall leave, not the village merely but

the county, and devote their remaining years to sweeping

crossings in their native northern home ; they say they would

rather do this than face those birds again. Besides, they say, it

is very unkind and unnecessary to make a fellow aviculturist

go and say things which would only make things harder for him .

in the time to come.


In a future paper I hope to speak of Solomon and the

Queen of Sheba in domestic life ; but what that future will be I

cannot tell.



NOTES ON THE CRYSTAL PALACE BIRD SHOW,

FEBRUARY, 1901.


By D. Seth-Smith.


In the British Section, the first bird which especially

interested me was a Lesser-Spotted Woodpecker shown by Mr.

Maxwell. One frequently sees the Greater-Spotted species at

Shows, but rarely the Lesser.


It seems absurd to have to show these two species in

separate classes, but so long as the classes are divided according

to the size of the birds, this separation is unavoidable. Again,

when will the authorities understand that the word “ variety ”

is a most unsuitable and incorrect term to use in connection with

British birds. There are numerous varieties of the one species to

which the fancy Canaries belong, and of other domestic creatures,

varieties which are produced by man’s ingenious and careful

selections, but with wild birds the different kinds are each a

distinct species , and varieties of these species are almost

unknown.


Of much interest to lovers of British birds was the

Wryneck shown in beautiful trim by Mr. C. T. Maxwell, and

rightly awarded first prize. A Black Redstart in the same class

was also interesting as being of comparatively rare occurrence



