36


third and fourth, Gouldian Finches fifth, and a male Cuba Finch

sixth. Mr. Cushny's Citril Finch ought not to have been passed

unnoticed, and Mr. Maxwell's Mexican Siskin deserved more

than a V.H.C. The Diuca Buntings, also, v^^ere v^^orthy of

a card, at least. All the prizes, except the sixth, were awarded

to Grassfinches — which was rather hard on the Finches. The

millet seed with which the Mexican Siskin was supplied was a

most unsuitable tliet for the little fellow.


Insectivorous or Fruit-eating Birds, larger than a Blue

Robin. — The first prize was awarded to a splendid Green-crested

Touracou, the second to a Toco Toucan, the third to a pair of

Lettered Aracari, the fourth to a beautiful Andaman Starling,

the fifth to a Purple-headed Glossy Starling, and the sixth to

a Malabar Starling. A Blue-winged Green Bulbul was V.H.C.

— why will the owner of this bird persist in calling it a " Blue-

winged Sugar-bird " ?


Insectivorous or Fruit-eating Birds, not larger than a Blue

Robin. — This was a splendid Class. The judging which gave

the first prize to a Superb Tanager over the heads of so many

rare birds was, to say the least, eccentric. I do not profess to

know the species of Mr, Maxwell's bird (entered as a Blue- faced

Tanager) which was placed second, but it was a lovely bird in

perfect condition, and probably' the first of its kind which has

been shown in England. The third prize-winner much re-

sembled the female Dacnis cayana, but had blue on the breast as

well as on the head. A Tri-coloured Tanager was fourth ; a pair

of Fuscous Honey-eaters fifth, and a Violet Tanager sixth. The

Class also contained a nice pair of Zosterops and some good

Tanagers of various common species. A Pileated Finch should

have been "wrong-classed."


The Members' Classes presented rather a mixture, but there

were several entries of great merit. Among them I must

specially mention Mr. Maxwell's pair of Violet Tanagers (the

hen being seldom imported) and Mr. Fulljames' Golden-crowned

New Zealand Parrakeets {^Cyanorhamphus auriceps). These last-

named birds were catalogued as " New Zealand Parrakeets," a

name usually reserved for the commoner and less attractive C

novcB-zealayidics. Mr. Frostick's Bulbul took my fancy greatly.

He calls it a Persian Bulbul — is this the same as the Syrian

Bulbul, and, again, is the Scinde Bulbul the same or a different

bird ?* I must confess that the Bulbuls are beyond me, though


* The Syrian Bulbul {P. xanthopygus) is perfectly distinct from the Persian, but

the latter occurs at Scinde, where liowever it is smaller, and not so good a singer as

the Persian bird.— A. G. B, ^



