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careful with their labels it would save much confusion. This

year is not the first that Exhibitors’ errors have brought an

unfortunate press reporter into trouble. On the Saturday of this

year’s Show, I read a report of it in a London daily. The

unfortunate wight who penned the report evidently didn’t know

a Waxbill from a Woodpecker, but thought he would be treading

on safe ground if he commented on the first prize winners as

printed in the catalogue. Accordingly, but with professional

caution and vagueness, he spoke with lofty wisdom of the tenant

of the cage which was catalogued as No. 2223, Blue-cheeked

Barbet, winner of the first prize in Class 126—thus the catalogue

be it remembered. On reading that a Blue-cheeked Barbet had

won the first prize in this class, I expressed myself strongly to

my Better-Half, declaring that the Show would not be worth the

bother of a journey to the Palace if a bird so common, so

easily obtained, so often exhibited, and one that keeps itself

in health and plumage without troubling its owner, could be

the best bird in the class. However, we came to the conclusion

that it was just au incompetent judge—which w'as a little hard

on the judge.


On the Monday, when I visited the Show, I found that

all four of the birds exhibited in this Class by one gentleman had

been placed in the wrong cages. On inspecting the cages, the Blue¬

cheeked Barbet and first prize winner of the catalogue and press

reporter became a Regent-bird, the Regent-bird of the catalogue

became a Sacred Kingfisher, the Sacred Kingfisher became a

Masked Wood Swallow, and the Masked Wood Swallow became

the Blue-cheeked Barbet, which looked queer, and had been

altogether ignored by the unjustly-judged judge. This kind of

thing is unfair to the visitors, and the refinement of cruelty to

those members of the press who do not know a Hangnest from

a Shama (Vol. II., p. 91), or a Barbet from a Regent.


MICE.—Dr. Butler tells us fp. 78) of traps for birds. If

somebody would tell us of traps which would catch mice in the

midst of abundance of seed and other food, the whole avicultural

world would rise up and call him blessed. I do not understand

to what little gin traps Mr. Cooper refers (p. 86) which can be

baited with sunflower seeds 4 will he not enlighten us? The

mice soon learn all about traps and poison, and any new trap is

a help. As to poison, I have raised a breed of mice here which,

generation after generation, have been so successfully

“ inoculated ” that they are practically immune. They will eat

“ Battle ” regularly, and not only live but increase and multiply



