12


shown by the same gentleman, obtained third, and extra thirds

were awarded to a Yellow Wagtail and a Redstart.


Several Swallows were shown in this class, and, although

some of these were much better birds than many that have at

former Shows taken first and second prizes, none of those here

exhibited obtained very high honours. Swallows always look

miserable and sadly out of place in cages, and it is satisfactory

to find that the Judge did not encourage the capture of a bird so

perfectly adapted to a life in the air and so hopelessly miserable

in captivity. Several Whitethroats, Yellow Wagtails, a Red-

backed Shrike, and a nice Garden Warbler were also shown in

this class, which contained nearly sixty entries, some of which,

however, were absent.


Class 20 (All other species of Migratory Insectivorous

Birds), Five very good Ring Ouzels were shown in this class,

the first, second and third prizes going to these birds; the fourth

was won by a nice Redwing. A miserable young Cuckoo was

shown here also, and illustrated clearly the folly, not to say

cruelty, of caging this species.


The last class that I have to mention was, to me, the most

interesting, as it contained several species of European birds

which are not usually recognised as our fellow-countrymen. A

very fine specimen of Acredula caudata, before mentioned as the

Continental form of our Eong-tailed Titmouse (. A . rosea ) was,

rightly, I think, shown in this class by Mr. Maxwell ; it did not

receive a card, and I find on referring to the Catalogue, that it is

therein marked “ Wrong Class.” Why this should be is not

clear. I have not the N. B. B. and M. C. list of British birds by

me, but I should be much surprised to hear that the White-headed

form of the Long-tailed Tit is therein included. Some orni¬

thologists do not recognise it as a good species, but it is, at any

rate, a very well-defined sub-species, and is certainly not British

although undoubtedly European.


Mr. Fulljames took all the prizes in this class, his rare

Warbler, which I took to be Hypolais polyglotta (but on this

point I am not certain) taking first. A Blue-throat, a most

beautiful specimen, which appeared to belong to the Southern or

White-spotted race ( Cyanecula wolfi ), was second. A nice

specimen of the Greater Nightingale or Sprosser ( Daitlias philo-

viela )— difficult to distinguish by the light in the tent from our

D. luscinia —third ; and a magnificent Rock Thrush fourth. The

Rock Thrushes are a connecting link between the true Thrushes

and the Chats, and the Chat-like habit of shaking the tail was



