So


months of care often become wasted at the last moment in the

transferring of the bird to the show-cage.


I^innets formed the next class, and these birds are such

favourites of mine that it would not take much effort on mj^ part

to become effusive on their merits. The winner of the second

prize must have misbehaved himself while under the judge's

e3-e, or he must have been first, as he was full of qualit}^ all over.

1,505 was a Greenfinch, and was, of course, thrown out as being

wrong class ; as it came from Yorkshire, where Greenfinches

are commonly called Green Linnets, the owner's mistake is

pardonable.


The next class (Lesser Redpolls, and Twites) contained, as it

generally does, a large proportion of freshly- caught birds, which,

however, were very properly not allowed to win over genuine

cage-moulted specimens. 1,564 and 1,565 were shewn in cages

provided with all the paraphernalia generally used by fanciers

for making these intelligent little creatures "do something for

their living," by drawing up a small bone bucket out of a water

receptacle suspended some foot or so below the cage. Small

things are always associated with small minds, and it is not

difficult to form an opinion as to the mental calibre of those who

indulge in freaks of this kind. Amongst the Siskins, we find

last year's winner (as in the Bullfinch class) quite unnoticed by

the judge, and yet such is the fate which natural^, sooner or

later, befalls champions, feathered and otherwise ; and when that

happens, owners should accept the inevitable, and allow their

birds to rest on their laurels. The winner in this class was a

remarkably fine bird, but might have been beaten by 1,570 (which

took third) had it not been over done in the matter of colour-

food. 1,578 was a capital Black-headed Siskin, and consequently

was marked wrong class.


The next class for A. O. V. resident Finch or Bunting

was very interesting, and here again an old winner, Mr. Raine's

Hawfinch, was unnoticed ; the first prize went to an exceedingly

bright Yellowhammer. It has long been known to me that the

further one gets away from London the better for getting good

Yellowhammers, and this view was confirmed on m^^ turning to

the Index of the Catalogue and there finding that this winner

comes from Aberdeen. Essex Yellowhammers are very dowdy

creatures, and yet, curious to record, Essex Chaffinches are the

best in England; but this is a digression. The second prize

went to a very good Greenfinch, and the third to another Yellow-

hammer, thus leaving the ten Hawfinches, all of which were

good, out in the cold.



