Parrots at the Horticultural Hall.



73



Red-faced Lovebirds, but unfortunately they were both cocks, so had

to be passed.


The All OTHER SPECIES class as usual contained some of

the most interesting of the parrots, other than parrakeets, shown.

The Rev. G. H. Ra-yner took the first prize with a very fine pair of

Meyer’s Parrakeets, both of which showed a considerable amount of

yellow on the head. Mr. Maxwell’s Black-headed Caique, a very

fine specimen, came second ; and another pair of Meyer’s, shown by

Miss Alfreda Smyth, third. These latter were not nearly so steady

as Mr. Rayner’s pair, but it was interesting to compare them with his.

Neither showed any trace of yellow on the head, which probably

showed that they belonged to a distinct race. There are quite a

number of local races of Meyer’s Parrots which differ in the amount

of yellow on the head and wings ; this character, I believe, having

nothing to do with sex and little to do with age-


The rarest bird in this class was a Short-Tailed Parrot (5th

prize) shown by Mrs. B. J. Moore, but it was not in show condition

and had an overgrown upper mandible. Other good birds shown

included Senegal Parrots, Eclectus and Red-vented Parrots.


The class for Parrakeets of the Ring-necked group, Rosel-

LAS, Redrumps, Cockatiels and CONURES, contained sixteen

entries : the first prize going to a very perfect Malabar Parrakeet

shown by Dr. Lovell-Iveays. This is a seldom imported species and

a very beautiful one. The second prize went to a very fine Red-

rump belonging to Miss Lydia Clare ; the third to a very nice

Blossom-head shown by Mr. Frost. Mr. Silver sent an unusually

fine Rosella, Mr. Erostick a very tame little Conure, which was

probably G. aztec, but off hand it is difficult to identify some of these

small Conures.


The class for LORIES, LORIKEETS and HANGING PARROTS

contained seven entries, the first prize going to Mr. C. T. Maxwell

for a specimen of the very rare Red-fronted Lory, the first I re¬

member to have seen at a show. Mrs. B. J. Moore took the second

prize with a nice Ceylonese Hanging Parrot; the third to a very fine

pair of Ceram Lories shown by Mr. W. S. Smith ; the fourth to Mi-

Maxwell’s fine pair of Red-collared Lorikeets.


Next came the class for Broadtails not previously men-



