; AMONG THE FOREIGN BIRDS. AT THE ROYAL ;-


AQUARIUM.V -)


« ■ By H. R. Fir,i,MER.


~ I have never yet seen a building perfedlly adapted for;


a bird-show, but of all' unsuitable places the , Westminster '

Aquarium is the worst. , The light is extremely bad in the'

da^^time ; the atmosphere loaded with tobacco-smoke is most

oflfensive to non-smokers (in whicli class the birds must bei;

included) ; and the fadl that a variety entertainmeut is going on^

upon the stage in the centre of the hall all the afternoon does'

not (to put it mildly) assist one's quiet enjoyment of the birds. '

Still, in spite of the noise, the smoke, and the dim light, the 'I

Aquarium Show of November 1897 was well worth a visit ; for •

the collection of birds has, possibly, never been excelled for'

rarity and interest. . . ^


In numbers alone the Show was a notable one, there bein^,

193 entries of foreign birds. . "


:The Glass for Rare Continental Birds is a capital idea and

contained some very interesting birds, including a. Blue Rock,,

Thrush, two Pied Rock Thrushes, and two specimens ai Daulias

jZi/zz7(7w^^/,« (one entered as a Greater' Nightingale the other as a.

Sprosser). The "Blue Rock Thrush was catalogued as a "Blue=-,^

throated Warbler." There was al^so an Ortolan Bunting in this,

class^this spepies is a fairly frequent visitor to our shores and is"

recognised as British bj^ the Avicultural Society.


■ It is not my intention to give anything like a detailed,'


report of the Show and I shall, therefore, pass over in silence >

tlie class for Amazons and Grey Parrots, and come to the more

interesting cla;ss for Macaws, Cockatoos and Parrots (other than. >

Amazons and :Greys) including "Loreys," (as the catalogue haS-

it). Here were several birds well worth a long journey to see. 1

The gem 6f thfe collection was, I think, the beautiful Hawk-

Beaded Parrot exhibited by Mr. Maxwell. Mr. Fulljames' '

Hyaciiithine Macaw, which took first prize, was in fine con-.,

ditiou, -but appeared to' nie to be rather smaller than other. "

specimens which I have seen, and in rarity it scarcely equals the.

Hawk-headed 'l^arrot. The Spix Macaw was- unfortunately in .

ratkerjSoor feather. The two Ganga Cockatoos, .Sent by. different'

exhibitors, were a pair ; and visitors to the Show had, therefore, ',

atn'opportuhity' of observing the striking difference between the^

sexes lit this* 'reire Species' (the female lacks the red head .and!

crest which are the distinguishing features of the male). The



