5i



cage 16S9 was in position, and contained, I think, a Tree Pipit. No. 1690

was a Bearded Tit, and should, I think, have been noted “Wrong Class.”

I have already written about this bird under Class 98. And should a Wax¬

wing. obtained from abroad, he in this class ? Russian Goldfinches and

Bullfinches are recognised as foreign ; and the Waxwing is by no means a

regular visitor to this country like the Fieldfare. Redwing, and Ring Ousel:

forgive my little hit in mentioning the last, which in 1893 and 1894, as well

as this year, has been placed in the wrong class and passed. I think Mr.

Foster, this j'ear, who has had one Waxwing disqualified, has been rather

hardly treated, for all Waxwings are imported birds. There were three

exhibited in this class last year, and each of the three cages was labelled

“Disqualified,” although each was “commended” in the catalogue. In

1893, one in a foreign class was “highly commended.” As regards any

doubtful bird regularly exhibited, especially when a change of front is

made, some notice in the schedules should be given to exhibitors. The 1st

prize in the Migratory Class was given to a nice, if rather small, Wheatear,

the 2nd to a good cock Redstart, and the 3rd to a capital little Lesser White-

throat. A nice Redwing and Fieldfare, the latter not often exhibited, and

a very faintly marked Spotted Flycatcher, were likewise present. The

latter should not be caged, especially by any one living in the country, for

in its wild state it is so tame and confiding that its little ways, its very

pretty little ways when free, can be watched and examined without the

slightest difficulty ; as often as not, it builds its nest against one’s house, in

almost any climbing shrub or tree, sometimes within reach of one’s hand.



FOREIGN FINCHES AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.


By Horatio R. Fillmer.


The Aviculturists who sent their birds to the Crystal Palace in the

great frost of 1895 must possess a considerable amount of courage ; nearly

sixty entries in the Foreign classes were “absent” — and I am inclined to

think that the owners of the absent entries exercised that discretion which

is said to he the better part of valour. I have to deal with the so-called

“small seed-eating” classes only (Classes 104 to 112). These contained 132

entries, 21 of which were absent; but as this number includes 42 foreign

Goldfinches and Bullfinches, about the “points” of which I am densely

ignorant, and about which I shall therefore preserve a discreet silence, I

have only 69 exhibits to discuss. In Class 104 (Waxbills or Mannikins) were

to be found 5 cages of Waxbills and 6 of Mannikins. The only birds of

special interest were those exhibited by Mr. J. Smart, who secured both

first and second prizes by his two entries. The first prize was awarded to a

pair of very pretty and very rare Mannikins, the Rufous-backed Finch,

a first cousin of the Bronze Mannikin. The second prize fell to a

pair of equally rare Waxbills (Bathilda ruficauda ), sometimes called the

Red-headed Waxbill. Class 105 (Gouldian and Parrot Finches) contained

onl\' three, all Gouldians. The first prize was taken by a fine cock Red-liead

exhibited b\' the Rev. J. W. A. Mackenzie. In Class 106 (Java Sparrows) Dr.

Butler was easily first with his really perfect pair of Grey Javas, bred in his

own aviaries from a grey father and a white mother. Unfortunately the

cold proved too much for one of these birds, which succumbed to laryngitis

before the Show was opened to the public.


In Class 109 (Cardinals) Miss Jackson’s well-known birds took their

usual positions, her Green Cardinal being first, and her Red-crested second.

The success of Miss Jackson’s two birds, which have never touched any so-

called “ colour food,” ought to be sufficient to demolish the theories of the

colour feeders. Mrs. Vernon Brown’s Crestless Cardinal, which was placed

third, was a singularly beautiful bird—indeed this class, taken as a whole,

reached a remarkably high standard of excellence. It contained 5 of the

green, 4 of the red-crested, and 3 of the crestless species. Class no

(Virginian Nightingales) was unusually full with 11 entries, two of which

were absent. Mr. Babb’s first entry struck me as being a very perfect bird.



