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when in the aviary with other birds. However, during the breeding time

the temper of no bird or animal is quite reliable; separation of species,

and isolation of pairs, is always the safest and saves much annoyance and

disappointment. Aug. F. Wiener.



DACN1S CA YANA,


Sir, —As my hen Dacnis cayana has been so much talked about,

perhaps Mr. Setli-Smith will permit me to put him right in his criticism.


Several exhibitors told me at the Palace that, although they had

never kept a hen of the species, yet the cock was not exceptionally rare.

These exhibitors had all fallen into the same error as Mr. Seth-Smith. The

“ Yellow-winged Sugar-bird,” the male of which is now at the Zoological

Gardens, is Cuereba cyatiea as stated. The Dacnis caya?ia, however, is quite a

different bird. The former has a curved beak, long for the size of the bird,

and has brilliant red legs; the hen is much more sober in colour than the

Dacnis cayana. The latter is a much larger bird, with a very differently

shaped beak. I doubt if, with the exception of my own specimen, either

male or female of the Dacnis cayana has ever been imported alive into

England.


Anyway, my bird is certainly not Coereba cyanea as suggested by Mr.

Seth-Smith. Henry J. Fueejames.



THRUSHES AT THE PALACE.


Sir, —Your critic, Mr. T. Marshall, “ does not understand old scaly-

legged Thrushes beating young clean-legged birds, other things being equal,

except mere size.” He further writes, “ The third prize went to an

erstwhile inmate of my own bird-room, whose show days I considered over

whenl presented him to his present owner, nearly twelve months ago.” Mr.

Marshall did very kindly present this very bird to me, he knew I was

anxious to have him ; about six months before he gave him to me, I offered,

I think, 15/- for him, but he declined, as the bird was given to him. Now

I think Mr. Marshall has been very harsh in his criticism upon this grand

old bird “Temple Terror.” If the young birds are to win all the prize-

monev because of their clean legs, the old birds would probably suffer, as

their owners would not think it worth while to bestow much attention upon

them. Then again, if smooth legs were so essential to the birds winning a

prize, some owners might be tempted to tamper with the birds’ legs, and

cause the birds pain. I for one should be very sorry to see any more

cruelties practiced on birds, there are too many already; what with

flighting voting Canaries, cutting cockerels’ combs, compulsory pepper-

feeding, &c., make some of us shudder and wonder what diabolical

practice will next be introduced. These things, Sir, I think should be

strongly denounced through the medium of the Avicultural Magazine,

and if such cruel practices were abolished, shows, I am sure, would be

far more popular.


With regard to the food given to the birds in the classes Mr. Marshall

criticised, I can only say that my birds were extremely low in health when

they came back from the show, which coincides with his remarks that the

birds were disgracefully fed with improper food.



A. Jones.



