n6



Mr. W. H. St. Quintin,



the plumage being the same winter and summer. Nor is it by

any means agreed amongst authorities that there are any external

indications by which the sexes can be distinguished.


The skin of a juvenile in the Natural History Museum in

London has no wax tips or yellow markings on the wings, only

the j'ellow band on the tail. But Dresser figures a nestling

which, in August, carried five wax tips, but the secondaries had

no white edges.


In the adult the shafts of the secondaries are prolonged

into horny, narrow points, like red sealing wax, seven or less in

number. Occasionally (in the large series of skins in the Museum

there are three examples), there are scarlet wax tips at the end

of the yellow band on each tail-feather. Very probably this is

not so much a mark of age as of exceptional vigour in the in¬

dividual : for the unusual decoration is apparently usually corre¬

lated with very broad rich yellow tail-bands.


In one of the above mentioned three skins (a Norwegian

one), the yellow edges of the primaries are veiy pale, perhaps

denoting that the bird is in its second year.


Of a pair which twice hatched young in my aviary in 1903,

I could onljr distinguish the female by the accidental fact that she

had a few feathers permanently disarranged on her shoulder by

the claw of some nocturnal assailant, probably a cat or Tawny

Owl. Both she and the cock were in equally brilliant plumage,

and I could detect no difference in their notes. But with regard

to the skins at the Museum ; each of the three with scarlet

tail tips is a male.; and, on the whole, the very finest gold and

scarlet ornaments seem to be worn by males, as might be ex¬

pected.


I have described (. Avic. Mag., Vol. II., New Series) how we

failed to rear the young hatched here in June and July 1903;

mainly I believe owing to the unfortunate position of the nest,

which was fully exposed to the sun. I have always felt that if

the birds had been in a larger, cooler aviary, well provided with

bushes, grass, &c. we should have done better. I am still hope¬

ful of better success !


I think it may be interesting to some of ny fellow members

to see the accompanying reproduction of an accurate portrait by



