xxvi proceedings, 



206th Obdtnaey Meetijtg, 26th Apeil, 1898, at "Watfoed. 



"William "Whitaker, B.A., F.R.S., Pres.G.S., Assoc. Inst, C.E., 

 President, in the Chair. 



j\Ir. J. A. Bell, Hamsterly, Watford, was proposed for member- 

 ship of the Society. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. "Meteorological Observations taken in Hertfordshire in the 

 Year 1897." By John Hopkinson, F.L.S., F.G.S., Assoc. Inst. C.E. 

 {Transactmis, Vol. X, pp. 49-60.) 



2. "Report on Phenological Phenomena observed in Hertford- 

 shire during the Year 1897." By Edward Mawley, Sec.R.Met.Soc, 

 F.R.H.S. {Transactions, Vol. X, pp. 61-67.) 



3. " Notes on Birds observed in Hertfordshire during the Year 

 1897." By Alan E. Grossman, F.L.S. {Transactions, Vol. X, 

 pp. 33-43.) 



Mr. Henrt Lewis said that some years ago Mr. James Lough 

 found at St. Albans a robin's nest in which there was a young 

 cream-coloured robin. He remarked that hawfinches were largely 

 on the increase, but that he now seldom saw goldtinches on 

 Bernard's Heath, owing to birdcatchers taking them. Linnets 

 were very numerous there at one time, but now they were com- 

 paratively rare. He had seen a bird shot in the neighbourhood of 

 Hertford which he thought was a Californian quail, and also 

 a pheasant with feathers of a peculiar dark blue colour. 



The President said that we owed a considerable number of 

 records to the presence of reservoirs, birds which would not 

 otherwise visit the county frequenting them and building on their 

 margins. Of late years gulls had come inland to a much greater 

 extent than before, the extraortlinary encroaching habits they were 

 developing being notable in St. James' Park, which they seemed 

 to think belonged to them. 



Mr. Hopkinson, replying to a question, said that there were at 

 least 210 species of birds recorded for the county, which he 

 thought was a very good record. His experience with regard to 

 nightingales last year was that they were exceedingly plentiful, 

 but he had not heard the cuckoo so often as usual. 



Mr. Lewis corroborated the presence of an unusual number of 

 nightingales last year, and remarked that they were usually in full 

 song in the neighbourhood of St. Albans by the 17th of April. 



The following short notes were then read : — 



1. "A Meteor seen at Kensworth." By Miss S. Grace Jones. 

 {Tranmctions, Vol. X, p. 68.) 



2. " The Fly-Orchis at Cheshunt." By George Paul. {Trans- 

 actions, Vol. X, p. 68.) 



3. " An Egg within an Egg." By Sir John Evans, K.C.B., 

 D.C.L.. E.ll.S. {Transactions, Vol. X."p. 68.) 



