102 Mr. A. Newton on Mr. J. Wolley's Discovery 



appreciate the colour red, or clearly determine when red did or 

 did not enter into the composition of another hue. I have now 

 before me a sketch made by him of one of the eggs obtained the 

 first year, in which he has painted the ground of a bright 

 pinky-orange — decidedly salmon-colour ; but I have been unable 

 to detect the original of this drawing in any of the eggs of that 

 year, all of which I believe I have at some time or another seen ; 

 and of the vast series now in my possession there is not a single 

 specimen which, in my opinion, at all approaches " salmon- 

 colour.^' I therefore, knowing how careful he always was in the 

 choice of his words, can only attribute his making use of that 

 term to this slight defect in his vision ; and that this defect 

 existed I had proof more than once ; and, indeed, on one occasion 

 he told me he had satisfied himself of this tendency to "colour- 

 blindness " where anything like red was concerned. The original 

 of fig. 6 is certainly of a warmer tint than is usually found ; but 

 my series is not without several examples of it, I also possess 

 some specimens of a pale and very beautiful variety, almost 

 destitute of dark spots, but with large blotches of tender lilac. 

 Excepting in the case of the American allied species, and the 

 Australian bird before mentioned, I know of no eggs which can 

 be said to bear any close resemblance to those of the Waxwing. 



This same year (1858) saw an Englishman, however, accomplish 

 what Mr. Wolley only partially succeeded in doing. The in- 

 teresting account of an independent discovery of the breeding of 

 the Waxwing, with which the kindness of Mr. H. E. Dresser has 

 furnished me, wilb I am sure, be read with pleasure, and I leave 

 that gentleman to narrate his exploit in his own language : — 



" In 1858 I was a short time in Uleaborg, while on my way 

 from Stockholm via Tornea to St. Petersburg, and having a 

 Httle time on my hands, I spent it in company with Mr. John 

 Granberg of Uleaborg, collecting in the neighbourhood of the 

 town. We intended to pass a day or two amongst the small 

 islands near the harbour, and determined to visit one called 

 Sandou, about four Sw^edish (twenty-seven English) miles from 

 Uleaborg. 



" We (that is, Granberg, a student by name Heikel, and myself) 

 left the town on the evening of the 3rd of July, in a little boat. 



