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Sir, — If Mr. Smart will refer to the British Museum Catalogue of

Birds, he will find that his birds which received the second prize in the

Waxbill class are there called Bathilda ruficauda — the genus bathilda being

placed between aidemosyne (Silverbills and Clierrj'-finclies) and poephila

(Parson-finches and Gouldian-finches). Their mode of singing would seem to

separate them widely from the genus Estrilda. They have a strong, though

perhaps only superficial, resemblance to another Australian waxbill, the

Crimson-finch, Neochmia phaeton. If Mr. Smart prefers the generic name of

Estrilda , by all means let him stick to it; he errs, if he errs at all, in very

good company—but the British Museum Catalogue is now generally

recognised as the highest English authority on the nomenclature of birds,

and much confusion would be prevented if all aviculturists would follow it.

The English name of Red-headed Waxbill is much more appropriate than

the scientific name ruficauda —the red face being a far more characteristic

feature of the bird than the reddish tail. It is not essential, although

usually convenient, that the English name should be a translation of the

scientific name. By the way, I think Mr. Smart’s birds are both cocks.


White-crested finch is, of course, simply a printer’s error for White-

breasted finch. I had not noticed this blunder until Mr. Smart pointed it

out.


I do not suppose that so experienced an aviculturist as Mr. Smart

would confuse the Oryx with the Flammiceps, but many people do confuse

them ; and for this confusion the illustration in Cassell’s “ Canaries and

Cage Birds” is no doubt largely responsible.


It will be seen that Mr. Smart and I do not differ so much as he

supposes. Horatio R. Fillmer.



RARE VISITORS.


Sir, — The following notices of rare birds appeared in the Feathered

World , for March 8th:—Great Grey Shrike, killed at Hook Norton on

February 15th; Little Bittern, killed near Horsham; Little Auk, killed

near Horsham, during the late severe weather. S. Brigg.



WINTER VISITANTS TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF

SCARBOROUGH.


Sir, — Some of the readers of the Magazine were wishing to hear of

any rare birds which had been seen or obtained on our coasts. The follow¬

ing is a list of birds reported to me by local Bird-stuffers and others.


The Little Auk has visited us by hundreds, and one taxidermist has

stuffed more than 80 specimens. These little birds were seen flying past the

Brigg at Filey, in droves of scores and hundreds, and were picked up dead

and alive in many places, and even inland as far as the city of Leeds. One

was found dead on my land, and a male Swan, shot in Cavton Bay, measured

8 feet from tip to tip.


Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull, Little Gull, Barnacle Goose, Canadian

Goose, some of these were caught alive, and my brother has one nowon his

pond.


Fulmar Petrel, Eider Duck, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye. I heard of one

man shooting two of these at one shot. A mature Drake was also obtained,

which is said to be very rare in these parts.


Briinnich’s Guillemot, one picked up at Scarborough, and a second

at Filey. Exceedingly rare birds, Merganser, Goosander, Pink-legged

Buzzard, Merlin, Hawfinch, Scaup Ducks.


I heard that at Pickering, numbers of Crossbills were seen.


No less than ten wild Swans were seen flying over our village one

morning. A peculiar thing is that I never saw a single Mountain Finch in

my stack yard all the winter, whereas on previous winters there have been

scores of them, and also Tree Sparrows. James Cooper.



