8g



I will conclude by saying that the feeding of the birds in

the classes I have discussed was simply disgraceful. I am quite

sure that to many an insectivorous bird at this show it was a week

of starvation, not because food was not given them, but because

they would prefer death to eating the atrocious mixture of pea-

meal, fat, and treacle provided for their delectation.



FOREIGN FINCHES AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.


By A. G. Butler.


This year’s show of Foreign Birds was, in my opinion,

vastly superior to that of 1896, and I only regretted that I had

not secured two holidays instead of one, in which I could do

justice to them ; the fadt being that so many aviculturists were

present, some of whom I then made the acquaintance of for the

first time, that I really had but little leisure in which to study

the finches.


At the opening of the show the light was so bad that the

smaller birds looked pretty nearly all one colour, and therefore

the quietest time was lost in examining birds which were large

enoughto be recognised : later, however, either thelight improved

or my e}^es became accustomed to the semi-darkness of the tent,

so that I was able to commence the examination of Class 103.


The first question which arose respecting the two Parrot

Finches to which first prize was awarded was as to whether a

hen bird, however old, ever attained to the brilliant colouring of

either of these specimens. I11 my own mind I must confess that

I decided against thepossibility and concluded that they were both

cocks : an undoubted pair shown b} r Mr. Osbaldeston, should, I

think, have taken precedence, although the cock was less

brilliant, and the hen had evidently not by any means attained

her full colouring.


Mr. Maxwell’s Pin-tailed Nonpareils appeared to be a

good pair; but, without lifting up the cage and turning it

towards the end of the tent (which I did not venture to do) I

could not see them distinctly.


As regards the Gouldian Finches, I considered none of them

veiy remarkable, but the condition of Mrs.Wickin’s pair beingfiner

than that of the single Red-headed male to which the third prize

was awarded, personally I should have preferred the Black-heads.


Class 104. Among the Java Sparrows, Mr. Oakey’s pair of

white birds was very pnre and perhaps deserved its position, but

I noticed that one of them (apparently the female) had lost a



