74


THE SCHEDULE FOR THE CRYSTAL PALACE SHOW.


As the Crj'stal Palace Bird Show is this 5'ear under new nianagemeiit

the schedule is of more than usual interest, and perhaps a little space may

be usefully employed in comparing it with its predecessor.


I cannot take upon myself to express an opinion upon the classification

of British Birds, but as far as I am capable of judging it seems to be fairly

good. There are one or two more classes, but the amount of prize money

distributed among them seems to be about the same as before. There is a

class for " A.O.V. resident Finch or Bunting," and the other A.O.V. classes

are reserved for Insectivorous Birds only — this seems to be a decided

improvement. The Migrator}^ Birds are placed among the British, and not,

as before, in a section by themselves ; and the A.O.V. Migratory are divided

into two classes — one for Insectivorous and the other for vSeed-eating.

There is a class for " Any Variety of European Bird not included in the

National British Bird and Mule Club's List" — why this class is placed in the

British section is not very apparent.


There are five extra classes in the Foreign section, but the average

amount of prize money per class is somewhat reduced. The classification

for 1S97, for which it is an open secret that Dr. vSimpson was mainly

responsible, is somewhat closely adhered to : witli,five extra classes it tizight

bave been greatly improved. The chief alteration among the small seed-

eaters is that in place of the class for "Any species of Grassfinch, Mannikin,

or Waxbill, not previously mentioned," there are now two — "An}' variety

of Waxbill," and " Any varietj' of Mannikin." The iise of the word

"variety," when species is intended, is silly — and it looks all the more

stupid because "species" is retained in the case of those classes in which

there has been no alteration. I have before pointed out that the huge class

for Grassfinches, Mannikins, ami Waxbills sadly wanted dividing, but it is

disappointing that the division has been so carelessly effected. The result is

that the rarer Grassfinches cannot be exhibited at all. The common ones

can appear in the class for " Any variety of Foreign Bird other than Parrots,

pairs not to exceed £2, single birds not to exceed ;^"i " ; but such birds as

the Long-tailed Grassfinch, the Red-headed Finch, and Bicheno's Finch

.(unless their owners are willing to part with them at a low price) are

altogether excluded. Probably the framers of the Schedule intended that

the Grassfinches should be shown in the Finch class, as they have changed

the wording of that class from "Any species of True Finch, Bunting or

Grosbeak not previously mentioned " to " Anj' other variety Finch, Bunting

or Grosbeak." If this was the intention it is scarceh' necessary to say that

it has not been carried out — bj' all rules of construction " Finch, Bunting or

Grosbeak" can mean nothing but "any species of FringillincE, E?nberizi7ia,

or Coccothraustincc'''' (that is. any species of Fringillida;), and cannot possibly

include Ploceidce. The judge would undoubtedly feel boixnd to disqualify'

Grassfinches if exhibited in this class, for to do otherwise would be to show

himself as ignorant of the most elementary principles of classification

as the framers of the Schedule obviously are. If the words "Bunting or

Grosbeak " had been omitted, it might have been reasoiiably contended

that the word " Finch " is used in a wide popular sense so as to include all

Finch-like birds, but the addition of the names of these two sub-families

shows clearly that the word I-'inch is used in the sense of True Finch onl}- :



