86 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



pleopods, each of which anteriorly occupies the centre of the 

 layer, whereas posteriorly the ova are continuous. The exopodite 

 forms a hairy border to the ova for more than two-thirds of its 

 extent, and it gives a regular or finished arrangement to the parts. 

 The broadest mass of the ova is situated between the endopodite 

 and the exopodite, the internal portion being narrower. 



Hyas coarctaf/is, Leach. The habitat of this species differs from 

 that of H. nranei/s since none has occurred amongst the rocks, all 

 coming from the deeper water and being often tossed on shore 

 after storms, in the cavities of HaUchondria panicea. In Bell's 

 plate the dorsal tubercles are not well figured, for they form a 

 somewhat regular row from the rostrum backward ; and he does 

 not mention the rows of strong hairs from the tip of the rostrum 

 backward. This form is as liable to external growths as the former, 

 Patches of HaUchondria, which also may envelop the carapace, 

 tufts of Phtvuilaria cafhari/ia, Geinellaria loricata, Sertularia j-i/gosa, 

 slender anemones, Anomire, Balani, Nymphons, Rhizopods, algce, 

 and rich debris intermingled, are common. A female loaded with 

 ova had a thick tuft of Chalina ociilata springing from the base of 

 the rostrum flanked by two tufts of Sertularia ahietina, 2 inches 

 in length, whilst the dorsum had Balani and Ascidians, the latter 

 also invading the limbs. 



A Note on the Identification of Ducks' Eggs. When 

 reading Dr Eagle Clarke's note {ante, p. 24) one might be led to 

 suppose from the quotation given from Miss Jackson's article in 

 British Birds, October 1918, that she was stating some new fact 

 with regard to the identification of ducks' eggs by the feathers 

 found amongst the down in the nest, whereas ten years ago, to 

 go no further back in past history, attention was fully drawn to 

 this point by Mr Heatley Noble in an illustrated article with a 

 coloured plate of the feathers in British Birds, 1908. Dr Eagle 

 Clarke's statement is certainly very interesting and at the same time 

 very disconcerting, because it appears to cast considerable doubt on 

 the reliability of the feathers in the down being a sure means of 

 identification. It would be interesting to know if others, when 

 examining the nests of ducks, have come across feathers belonging 

 to other species of birds, because, if so, it would, I think, pretty 

 effectively rule out the "feather" test as being quite unreliable. 

 F. W. Smalley, M.B.O.U. 



