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and other Societies, exist for the purpose of assisting the amateur, it is

unpardonable that birds should be entered in the wrong names through

ignorance. Of the 30 exhibits in this class no less than 9 were wrongly

named, while 6 were unnamed.


There were onlv 4 exhibits in Class 112 (Doves)—two of them belonged

to Mr. Housden, whose Australian Crested Doves, well-known prize

winners, took the first prize.


No. 1212 (in one of the Mule Classes) was an exhibit of great interest

to Aviculturists. It was a hybrid between an Alario Finch and a Canary-


It is worth notice that in the classes which I have been discussing 8

out of 20 prizes awarded went to Members of the Avicultural Society, and

in the Parrot Classes the proportion was about the same. As our Society

does not encourage exhibiting this fact is rather remarkable.



INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS AND PARRAKEETS

AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.


By Reginald Phillipps.


Many of the classes at the Great Show this year were not so well

filled as usual, the entries for some of them being very few in number; and

this misfortune was aggravated bv the severe weather, which caused a few

intending exhibitors to keep their birds at home : consequently some good

ones we should have liked well to have seen were not on view. I understand

Show is held thus early in the year to accommodate the Canary breeders;

but this is hard 011 the Aviculturists. This year, not a few birds which,

according to the catalogue, were before the judges on the judging-dav,

were not in their places on the Monday when I visited the Show — I fear absent

on sick leave or worse, and others were looking none the better for their

terrible journey to the Palace. At the Palace, the birds on view were very

comfortably “housed,” but not too well attended to in some cases. I could

not help noticing one attendant going round with spray millet: at a cage

which did not open its door so readily as he desired, he passed on. leaving

the poor little tots without their food. Why could he not have thrust it

between the wires ? Door or no door, this would have been a better mode

of dealing with the case than shoving his great awkward hand into the tiny

cage.


Year after year at this Show, I observe how awards of various kinds,

oft-times first prizes, are given to birds which have deformed, diseased, or

mutilated toes, bills, or wings; and surely Aviculturists should protest

against this. To ignore these imperfections is to encourage the careless

keeping of birds. If the judges were not to give prizes or commendations

to imperfect birds (this year they have given them as freely as ever, or more

so), Exhibitors would be more careful when making purchases, and then

dealers would take a little more care of their wares.


In the class for small foreign non-seed-eating birds, twelve cages were

present, Mr. Smith’s Scarlet Tauager coming first. I do not know how it

may have looked when before the judge, but I found it lumpy and

drooping, and much the worse for the cold, as were some of its neighbours.

The same gentleman took the second prize with a pair of Indian Zosterops,

rather rough in feather; Mr. Arthur coming next with a good Superb

Tauager. There were other Superb and Scarlet Tanagers, Pekin Robins,

and Blue Birds, a nice little class altogether. Cage 1839, by the way,

contained a pair of Blue Birds, not Spectacle Birds as printed in the

catalogue.


The next, for the larger non-seed-eating foreigners, was a better class,

but not up to the average for a Palace Show, only 19 cages being present;

two of which were marked Wrong Class. Two Green-billed Toucans were

very conspicuous, the Rev. J. W. A. Mackenzie’s taking the first prize. It

was a good bird, and Mr. Arthur's, which took the fourth, was not to be

despised. I have never kept this species, but have had the Ariel Toucan,



