222 Cowespondence.


notice was a wreath of Bullfinches round a huge crown, the fashion of a

couple of years ago; but one could go on ad infinitum, and to what avail ?


But the "ruthless importation of foreign birds," that is the point in

question. Can anyone suggest a means of checking it in any way ? for if

they can let us hope they will. E. A. H. Hartley.


"THE ORIGIN OF BENGALESE."


Sir, — I was much interested in Capt. Perreau's notes on this question

in the last number of our Magazine : with respect to his experiments, I

should like to make one or two observations ; because I feel that it is only

by thoroughly thrashing out the subject, that we are likely to arrive at the

truth ; and it is the truth, and not our own notions, which we wish to

prove.


It would appear that, from two of the varieties of Bengalee paired

together, one of the young seemed to be typical of Uroloncha acuticauda;

but it is unfortunate that in the same aviary there were four examples of

U. striata ; because, although Capt. Perreau did not observe any chumming

up between the two forms, it is more than likely that the young bird

was the result of a cross between the two. As I have pointed out, Mr.

Teschemaker's cross between these two birds produced what looked like

U. acuticauda. I have never heard of such a bird being produced in the

numerous instances in which Bengalees were kept by themselves in an

aviary.


Whenever I have kept Bengalees either with Uroloncha acuticauda or

(J. striata, I have repeatedly noticed that they have struggled and fought,

as evening approached, to go to roost in each others' nests, and in more

than one instance I have seen the rightful owner dispossessed for the night.


If (J. striata should succeed in temporarily taking possession of a Ben-

galee's nest, evicting the male bird, it is quite possible that he would take a

hand in the production of the coming family ; and, unless one took one's

meals in full view of the nest, and kept it in sight from dawn to dark

during the whole time in which eggs were being produced, it would not be

possible to be certain that out of four Striated-finches in the aviaiy, not

one had influenced the result of the laying: that Capt. Perreau did later on

notice a flirtation between a Bengalee- and Striated-finch, even though it

came to nought, should have convinced him that his young birds might,

after all, not have been produced by Bengalees only.


It is worthy of note that Capt. Perreau and mj-self are agreed in

thinking it possible that both Striated- and Sharp-tailed-finches may have

been concerned in the production of the Bengalee : it will be remembered

that I suggested U. striata as having originated the veiy similar dark brown

and white form ; after which the introduction of U. acuticauda produced

the fawn and white varieties ; possibly Capt. Perreau may think it was the

other way about. Who shall say ? At any rate, we seem to be agreed that



