Birp LIFE AND BirD PHOTOGRAPHY. 207 
the lesser tern on its nest. A pit was dug in the sand near the 
nest, into which my friend Mr Legard got with his camera. He 
was then covered over with old sacks and liberally sprinkled with 
sand. 
Our next six photographs concern the Arctic tern. This 
photograph shows an islet on the Langa river, in Iceland, which 
was resorted to for nesting purposes by these birds. The next, 
taken in Ireland, shows two eggs in the nest. The eggs, which 
vary enormously, in colouration, are in this case dark chocolate 
brown, blotched and spotted with black, and with undermarkings 
of grey. Here we see an interesting photograph. You will 
notice that one egg is normal; the other is abnormal, being spot- 
less and pale blue in colouration. When speaking of the black 
headed gull, you will remember that I said that to find one egg of 
a clutch lacking in pigmentary colouration was not very unusual. 
This picture shows the Arctic tern brooding its young, which can 
just be made out below the bird’s breast. This photograph is of 
the same bird as in the preceding, and was taken in Iceland. It 
shows the bird at the nest, with its wings uplifted in a truly charac- 
teristic manner. Our next photograph, taken in Ireland, shows 
the Arctic tern contentedly incubating her eggs. 
4th May, 1906. 
Chairman—Mr RoBert SERVICE, V.P. 
It was agreed to record in the minutes an expression of regret 
at the deaths of three members of the Society, viz.:—The Right 
Hon. the Earl of Mansfield, Captain W. Stewart of Shambeliie, 
and the Rev. Joseph Hunter. 
Mr J. Rutherford, Jardington, exhibited an equatorial star 
finder of his own design for the use of beginners. The following 
is Mr Rutherford’s description of the instrument : 
A few years ago, when learning the stars, I sometimes had a 
good deal of trouble in finding the ones that I saw in the sky on 
the map; also, trouble and doubt were experienced in regard to 
stars I saw on the map in locating them in the sky. Under those 
