29 
orange. .Surely a singular change iu an all green bird ! A few ol uie 
little feathers were quite black, quite red, and quite orange. 
It would have been interesting to see what another moult would have 
brought forth ; it was in good condition so far as flesh was concerned, and I 
wish it had not died. The cock, ecjually old, remains quite normal in 
colour. (:\Irs.) ]•;. .X. H. Haktlky 
A PRIVATE CONSIGNMENT OF .S. AFRICAN BIRDS. 
,SiR, — I thank you for your letter of 22nd P'ebruary, and in reply to 
your request I send yon the following list of the birds which I recently 
brought from the C;ipe, leaving it entirely to you to make use only of wdiat 
you may consider of interest. 
I arrive<l here on January 30th, liringing with me one pair and an 
odd male of Dufresne's Waxbills and a pair of what I believe to S. A. Ruddy 
Waxbills (Lagoiiostictn tiibiicata), though Mr. Tescheniaker who now has 
them is of the opinion that what I take to be the female is some other 
species of Waxbill. I lost on the voyage an Orange-breasted Sunbird which 
I had kept in perfect health for a couple of months, but it died a few days 
after leaving Cape Town. 
On the 15th I'"ebruary. I received between thirty ;ind forty .South 
African birds, which I had collected out there before I left. They consisted 
of the following viz. : ten pairs Red-headed Finches [Ainadina etythro- 
cephala), one pair and a male Alario Finch, four male Great-tailed Whydalus 
[Cliera procne), one pair Red-collared Wliydahs {Vidua atdens), four Pin- 
tailed Whydahs, and a young Yellow Weaver of which I do not know the 
species. 
I lost a few Alarios only on the voyage, and with the exception of the 
Waxbills, the rest of the birds since their arrival have been kept under a 
closed glass verandah quite unheated and are all in perfect health. I think 
they may be safely consiiiered hardy. 
I will endeavour to .send a few field notes later on. H. Iv Brjs.S. 
A HYBRID GKASSFINCH (corrkction). 
Sir,— On page 292 of last Volume (VII.), lines 34 and 35, should read 
like the Masked Finch instead of "like the Cherry Finch" as printed. 
As the INIasked I'inch's beak is very much larger than the Cherry 
Finch, I think the error should be corrected. 
It may be my mistake when copying out. H. L. SiCH. 
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