HARD WICKE' S S CIENCE- G O SSI P. 



277 



marked, and do not remember having seen one. 

 This latter remark applies to the eggs of all the 

 other sea birds with which I am acquainted, except 

 that of the kittiwake, of which, out of about forty 

 varieties, I possess one thickly blotched at the lower 

 end. 



I have some eighty varieties of eggs of the black- 

 headed gull, selected from four or five hundred, and 

 not one of these is coloured only at the lower end. 

 I do not, however, consider end-coloured varieties 

 only at all rare amongst other species, as I have 

 numerous examples so marked in my collection. 



The eggs of the Falconidre and Corvidoe are, of 

 course, amongst the most numerous examples : then 

 come those of the warblers and finches, and I believe 

 it occurs, more or less, in all the families. I might 

 add that a partridge egg in my collection has the 

 small end of a blue colour. 



My experience amongst sea birds is gained from 

 three or four visits annually for the last ten years to 

 the long range of cliffs extending from Flamborough 

 Co Filey, the home or nursery during the breeding 

 season of countless numbers of guillemots, razorbills, 

 kittiwakes and puffins, which are to be seen here, I 

 believe, in greater numbers than at any of their other 

 breeding stations, and during that time I have looked 

 upon and selected varieties for my own collection 

 from many thousands of their eggs, as well as seen a 

 great number of specimens in private collections and 

 museums. 



Of course, the information I have adduced is 

 principally valuable in so far as it concerns sea birds' 

 eggs from Yorkshire ; and I do not wish it to be 

 understood that because my experience proves small- 

 end coloured eggs amongst sea birds rare, that such 

 is generally the case, as it is well known that certain 

 districts are famous for their special forms of varia- 

 tion ; for instance, the dark reddish form from 

 Speeton, Bempton, and Buckton, and knowing Mr. 

 Wheldon personally, I am inclined to think he can 

 throw more light on the matter in support of his 

 statement. 



I trust we shall have the experience of other 

 snaturalists from widely different districts, who are 

 acquainted with the eggs of sea birds, especially 

 those of the guillemot and razorbill, as to whether 

 they have found this form occurring, and, if so, in 

 what numbers. Collectors, too, might oblige us 

 with a description of any end-coloured eggs of these 

 birds which they may possess. 



In conclusion, allow me to state that I have fol- 

 Jowed with great interest the letters which have 

 recently appeared in your valuable columns respecting 

 varieties in the eggs of our British birds, and shall 

 have great pleasure, when time permits, in forward- 

 ing a list of some of the more remarkable forms in 

 my collection. 



William Hewett. 



York. 



ABNORMAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE 

 ESSENTIAL ORGANS. 



THIS is, perhaps, a very rare freak in the vege- 

 table kingdom, but has, to my knowledge, 

 occurred once before in the same species, which 

 was mentioned by Bentley in the " Pharmaceutical 

 Journal" for March, 1856. It was in June, 1889, 

 that I found this monstrosity at Acton, which repre- 

 sents all the grades from the Andrcecium to the 

 Gynoecium. The usual number of dissepiments in 

 the syncarpous ovary of Papaverbracteatum is twelve, 

 with the lobes and canals of the stigma to correspond ; 

 but this had eighteen, thus gaining six extra to the 

 true ovary. These were situated between the ovary 

 and stamens, and consisted of three whorls, of which 

 the first was coherent with the ovary (Fig. A, aa, 

 and Fig. B, 6, 7, 8). The second whorl was inter- 



Fi^s. 150.— a, Essential Organs of Reproduction of Papavcr 

 bractcatum ; c, longitudinal section of same. 



mediate between a half stamen and an ovary, which 

 were placed between the former and latter whorl, 

 and were quite free (Fig. c, bb, Fig. A, b, and 

 Fig. b, 3, 4, 5). The third whorl was next to the 

 andrcecium (Figs. A and c, dddd), and Fig. B, 

 1, 2, 3), those mostly like stamens having anthers 

 which contained pollen, although having a resem- 

 blance to the gynoacium. All these three whorls 

 were hypogynous, the same as the andrcecium, which 

 were placed after this latter whorl, and consisted of 

 five or six whorls. From these three whorls a perfect 

 graduation could be formed from a carpel to a stamen 

 (Fig. b). The following is a short description of 



