320 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
smaller and richer coloured, while the northern is larger and 
paler. Mr. Robert Ridgway has remarked that this difference 
between the two geographical races is most obvious in the 
females, adding that this is the case with all the climatic or local 
forms into which the species is “ split up.” 
The account furnished by Mr. Hubert D. Astley of the breeding 
of a pair of these birds in a state of liberty in England is very 
interesting. Briefly stated, it appears that they escaped from a 
large pheasantry, where they had been confined for two years, 
and soon became acclimatized. They got out on May 15th, and 
three days later Mr. Astley observed that a nest had been com- 
menced in a very bare yew tree. It was very frail, with no 
foundation, merely bits of dead grass and some old pieces of rush, 
lightly interwoven, the whole structure being decidedly small for 
the size of the bird. Exactly a week after their escape the first 
egg was laid. It was rather larger than a Sparrow's in size, and 
dirty white in colour, with large blotches of reddish brown, 
chiefly at the larger end. Five eggs were laid in as many con- 
secutive days, and four young birds were eventually hatched, the 
period of incubation being fourteen days. 
We have referred to the coloured plates by Mr. Frohawk. 
Some of these strike us as being somewhat flat, but the later 
ones are much better, the artist evidently having improved with 
practice. 
In concluding our notice of Mr. Bartlett’s Monograph, we 
would venture to suggest that, considering that most of the 
species dealt with are favourite cage-birds, some information 
upon their proper treatment in captivity, with hints as to 
food, &c., would be particularly acceptable to owners of aviaries, 
and might result in attracting as subscribers many who, in the 
absence of such information, would regard the work as deficient 
from their point of view. Works of this class are naturally 
costly, owing to their size, and to the number of coloured plates 
which they contain, but tending as they do to the material 
advancement of zoological science, we trust that this Monograph, 
like those which have preceded it, will meet with the cordial 
support and encouragement which it deserves. 
