The collection at Villers Bretonneux.



269



Society Show, so you will see for yourself. The show is now over ;

I am pleased to say it was a most complete success in every way.

We had 609 entries, which is an easy record. The exhibits, on the

whole, were of a high quality. I got a first and special for the best

Parrot; I won this with a New Guinea White-rumped Lory, and of

all the striking birds he was easily the talk of the show. I got tired

of telling the people what he was and where he came from. Besides

the Lory I showed a Mitchell Lorikeet; he is very nice, but not up

to the Lory; unfortunately he managed to break off the end of his

tail, which put him out of the running. The Masked Parrot is a

very fine tame bird, it ran second at the show ; of course, its not a

patch on the Lory.


The Lory is about half as big again as a Blue Mountain

Lorikeet, and bas such a wonderful blending of various shapes and

colours; he lives chiefly on hemp, sunflower, and fruit. The

Mitchell Lorikeet is a little smaller than a Blue Mountain. I have

got in touch with a man in Hobart, and he sent me a nice little cock

Blue-wing and four pairs of Firetails, all of which are doing nicely.”



THE COLLECTION AT VILLERS-

BRETONNEUX.


We deeply regret to report that the incomparable collection

of birds at Villers-Bretonneux has been utterly destroyed in the

recent fighting.


Lieut. Delacour writes : “ It was absolutely impossible to get

any bird away. I only know that when the last persons left Villers-

Bretonneux the park was full of artillery and machine guns, and

being shelled very badly. A British Staff Major, who visited the

property later, found nearly all the aviaries blown up and the birds

killed ; some were still alive, but very few—only some big birds such

as Cranes and Ostriches, and some Ducks on the pond. The majority

were killed by shell fire or by starvation. A cock Ostrich before it

died broke the leg of a sergeant.”


In a later issue the Editor hopes to publish a list of the birds

in the collection, kindly sent by Mr. Astley ; it will be illustrated, if



