Correspondence, Notes, etc. 369



and it was necessary that a strong effort should be made if it were not to go

to the wall entirely.


The Council with one accord put its shoulder to the wheel. Many

■changes were made ; Annual Council Meetings were held ; the rules, which

were by no means efficient, were revised, and, we hope at least that, the

result is a stronger Society and a Magazine of an altogether higher standard.

And this in spite of the fact that in October 1901 Mr. Fillmer started a new

magazine and a new society, known respectively as “ Foreign Bird Notes,”

and “The Foreign Bird Club,” presumably as rivals to the “Avicultural

Magazine ” and Society. Four months later the F. B. C. joined hands with

the “National British Bird and Mule Clnb,” and the Magazine changed its

name to that of “Bird Notes,” under which title it still exists with Mr.

Fillmer at its head ; but the British Bird and Mule Club has now broken off

its connection with it. Bvery effort was made to persuade our members

to join the F. B. C.; printed circulars, and, in some cases, specimen copies

■of * Bird Notes,’ were sent to them, and, as a special inducement, members

of the Avicultural Society were allowed to join without paying an entrance

fee. The natural result of this was that a number of our members deserted

us to join the Foreign Bird Club, the annual subscription to which, at that

time, was less than that of the Avicultural Society.


In December last, when our Society had reached, by careful manage¬

ment and much hard work at the hands of its officers, an important

position, Mr. Fillmer rejoined, and the above communication is his first

contribution to our New Series.— Ed.]



THE GREAT-BILLED PARRAKEET.


Sir,—T he other day, on my way to the Natural History Museum I

looked into a bird shop (Musgrave’s) just opposite Harrod’s Stores. There

I saw what, for a moment I mistook for an Alexandrine Parrakeet, but I

soon saw that it wasn’t, though the general shape of the bird is like that

species, with a large head and very large red' beak, and a short, though

somewhat pointed tail. The colour is bright bluish green above, and

yellowish green underneath. O11 the wings are some black feathers edged

with yellow, like a red Rosella’s back. O11 a top shelf at the Museum I saw

a stuffed specimen of this bird, but, though I climbed on a chair I could

not see its name, as the label was turned blank side outwards, like the price

tickets of all the most fascinating things in the shop windows.


Yesterday I hunted all over the Zoo. for a parrot like him, but failed

to find one. So to-day I went into the shop and asked. The man there

told me it is a “ Hornbill Parrot from India; the only one in England ; has

been in his possession eight months ; price 13 guineas.” He told me he

could not find out its scientific name. The beak is very large, but not a bit

like a HornbiU’s, more like a large red radish, or a small Dutch cheese. Is



