82


pleased to see that both of them were independent of the fare

provided by the authorities ; had it been otherwise, neither of

these interesting little creatures would ever have seen their home

again alive. Mr. Maxwell took third prize with a very good

Grey Wagtail ; and here let me say that a Wagtail always seems

to nie to be more at home on a show bench than most of the

birds that find their way there, and generally makes a graceful

and charming exhibit.


Noticing that the first bird in the next class was catalogued

as a "Peewit" I was looking forward to interviewing alive, and

at close quarters, that bird of tradition, cursed of the Covenanters

and blessed of the Tyrwhitts (whose family name is a lyincoln-

shire rendering of their call-notes), but alas, the occupant of the

cage was a hen Ring Ouzel, and as the class was for larger

resident insectivorous, was out of place. A Great Grey-backed

Shrike, the first I remember to have seen on show, took first

prize, and a well-shewn Woodpecker took second. It is not

often that one has the pleasure of hearing a Nightingale singing

•on the show bench, but that shewn by Mr. Maxwell certainly

sang on the occasion of my visit : the prize, however, went to

Mr. Preston's 'Gale, the only entry that gentleman had in the


show.


Three more classes and I shall have got through m)^ task.

Taking the last first we have, I believe, quite a new class, i.e.,

one for Any Variety of European Bird not included in the

N. B. B. and M. Club list. Not the least interesting exhibit in

the class under consideration was a Crested I^ark, which was

unnoticed by the judge, owing to its obvious want of condition.

A capital Blue-throated Warbler was awarded first prize, and

Mr. Russell Humphrj^s was fortunate to get second with his

Rose-coloured Pastor.


Classes 112 and 113 were for Migratory Insectivorous and

Seed-eating respectivel}^ and the former class shewed us the

advisabilit}^ of yet another division in the classification, for fair-

play can hardly be dealt out where such birds as Ring Ouzels

and Fieldfares are opposing Whitethroats and Redstarts. As it

was, the smaller birds took the prizes, and the larger ones went

without. 1808A was catalogued as a Blackcap, but the cage

contained the remnant of a Swallow.


In the Seed-eating Migratory class such extremes did

not exist, and the Bramblefinches secured the prizes — the

winner, i,82oa, being a particularly well marked specimen. The

fourth prize went to a very good Mealy Redpoll, albeit it was not

cage-moulted.



