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never much to be said), and the Weavers and Whydahs (about

which much might be said, though not by me), I come to the

Waxbills. Here were Violet-eared (properly first). Rufous-tails,

Crimson Finches, Dufresne's Waxbills, SydneyWaxbills,Bicheno's

Finches, St. Helenas, and a hen Cordon Bleu. Crimson Finches

are commoner than Dufresne's Waxbills, but the former were

placed over the heads of the Dufresnes, probably because the

latter were a little out of condition. Mr. Storey's St. Helenas

were of the small variety, no larger than the Grey Waxbill. The

Bicheno's Finches were disqualified. Besides the Bicheno's

Finches in this Class, the judge disqualified, in other Classes, a

pair of Magpie Mannikins and a pair of Popes. These entries

were presumably all disqualified on the ground that they were

not true pairs : they are all birds in which the outward differences

between the sexes (if there be any outward difference at all) are

of an extremely slight and uncertain character, and, in my

opinion, the judge would have been wiser to give these exhibits

the benefit of the doubt.


The Mannikin Class contained only seven entries, one or

two of which were absent. Both prizes went to Pe(5loral

Finches.


There was nothing of special interest in the Cardinal

Class, except Mr. Davis's Thick-billed Cardinal, and that has

been seen once or twice before at the Palace. This year it was

in rather rough feather.


The Class for " Any other variety of Finch, Bunting, or

Grosbeak" was a most interesting one, and contained thirty-

three entries — unfortunately the judge failed to do justice to

it. A Virginian Cardinal, a Black-headed Mannikin, and a

pair of Pecfloral Finches were rightly marked 'wrong-class,' and

the same course ought to have been taken with the Grass-finches,

of which there were nearly a dozen entries. It is perfedlly clear

that Grass-finches had no business in a class for " Finches,

Buntings and Grosbeaks," but if the judge decided to admit

them he should, in common fairness, have refrained from

"wrong-classing" any of the entries in the show. The first

prize was awarded to a very fine pair of lyong-tailed Grass-finches»

the second to the Desert Trumpeter Bullfinches which were first

last 5^ear, the third to a ver}' ordinary pair of Parson Finches,

the fourth to a Mexican Siskin, and the fifth to a Red-headed

Finch. It will thus be seen that no less than three of the prize-

winners had no business in the class. There were several

entries of great interest (of species having a right to be in the

class) ; among these I may especially mention an Klegant Bunting



