Correspondence. 
143 
quickly gobbled them up, then back to the perches— a marvel 
of activity—and snap, snap, snap \vent her bill (audibly) till not 
a spider was left and the cage was well searched for strays. 
After that she settled on the perch and looked at me with a 
look that was capable of no other interpretation than " more 
please." The above will demonstrate to what an extent insects 
figure in the bill of fare of these " wee feathered exquisites " 
when in their native wilds. 
The Pope C.4kdin.\l {I'aroaria larvata). Though this 
species has often reared young to the age of ten days, yet 
there is no record of their having been reared till they were 
old enough to fend for themselves. It has been succ>3fisfiilly 
crossed with other Cardinals and the young fully reared, but 
tnis does not affect the breeding of the species. Our mem- 
ber, Mr. E. 'Teschemaker has at the present time, two fine 
young birds on the wing in his Devonshire aviary and unless 
any previous authentic case of success can be brought for- 
Avard he is entitled to the club medal for breeding this species 
for the first time in Great Britain. If any member knows 
of any previous instance, will they kindly oblige by sending 
us full details at once. 
Correspondence. 
THE BLACK-THROATED BUNTING. 
Sir. — I mentioned in my recent notes on this species that I lost the 
one young bird which I kept for the purpose of observing the change of 
plumage, and I therefore asked our member, Dr. Thwaites into whose hands 
the other passed, to kindly assist me by observing the moult carefully. The 
bird died just after the moult, but Dr. Thwaites has been good enough to 
have it skinned and has forwarded it to me for examination. The taxider- 
mist's label is dated 8()th November, 1911, and states that (as I had antici- 
pated) it is a hen. The specimen is in a verj' interesting phase of plumage, 
The upper breast and the centre of the lower breast are bright yellow ; the 
throat and abdomen wliitish ; the flanks now .show hardly any trace of stria- 
tion, and the singular brown moustachial streak (mentioned in my notes) is 
much less prominent and is apparently disappearing. I said in my notes 
that this marking had no counterpart in the adult plumage, but oddly 
enough I recentl}' received two Buntings from a German dealer which he 
had not identified, but which I feel quite sure are hens of Spiza Americana 
of a slightly different type or race. They are a little smaller and one has 
distinct moustachial striations. 
I cannot find any mention of an allied species in Coues" work on 
