228 COREESPONDENCE. 



must first be drilled with little steel instruments called egg dxills, which 

 are made of various degi'ees of fineness, according to the size of the egg 

 to be operated upon. Drills are to be procured from the varioi;s dealers, 

 but can be made from steel wire softened in the fire and filed to a sharp 

 three-cornered point — aftei^wards tempered to hardness — for the smaller 

 eggs, or filed up for the larger eggs to the pattern of a ' counter-siuk,' 

 used for wood — indeed, the smallest-sized ' counter-sink ' made, to be 

 procured at any ironmonger's, will do very well for eggs the size of a 

 hen's. To use these di'ills, rotate the point by 'twiddhug' the drill 

 between the finger and thumb, making only one hole, and that in the 

 centre of the egg. When a nicely rounded hole is cut, the egg must be 

 emptied by means of an ' egg-blower,' or blow-pipe ; the point beiug 

 introduced into the hole, the contents are blown out or sucked up into the 

 bulb, which, when full, is emptied out at the other end. It sometimes 

 happens that the egg is ' hard set.' The embryo must, in that case, be 

 cut out with small ciirved scissors specially made. In all cases eggs 

 should be thoroughly rinsed oixt with a solution of six grains of corrosive 

 siiblimate to an ounce of rectified spirits of wine. This may be sucked 

 up into the bulb of the ' egg-blower,' and thence ejected into the egg, 

 which is to be rotated, and what solution is left may then be sucked back 

 and thrown away, or returned to the bottle. Great care miist be taken, 

 however, that the mixture does not pass the bulb and be drawn up into 

 the mouth, as it is, of course, a deadly poison ; the egg being placed (hole 

 do^vnwards) on blotting-paper, is to be left until dry."] 



The Pkoposed Increase of the Subscription to the Midland Union 

 OF NATUR.Ui History Societies.— I do not intend to discuss at present 

 the question of this increase, but I desire to place on record an explanation 

 personal to myself. As the Secretary of a Sub-committee appointed by 

 the Birmingham Natural History Society, I conducted the negotiations 

 which established the Union ; and throughout these negotiations the 

 principles laid down were those upon which the West Hiding Union had 

 been formed. The most important of these was one upon which I gave 

 personal assurance to many of the Societies now in the Union that their 

 pecuniary responsibility would be limited to one penny per member. Of 

 the proposal made at the very first meeting of the Union to increase 

 the levy to a shilling I knew nothing until, to my astonishment, it was 

 made by the Pi-esident of that Society on behalf of which I had acted. 

 I therefore trust that any Societies of the Union who may sec in this 

 the appearance of a breach of faith on my part will understand that I 

 am in no way responsible for it. I have expressed my sense of the false 

 position in which I have been placed by resigning my seats on the 

 Council of the Union, and on the Committee of the Birmingham Natural 

 History Society. — Lawson Tait. 



[The proposition to raise the suV)scription was fully cliscusscil and arlopted 

 as a recommendation to the General Meeting at the Meetiup; of the Council 

 which i)receded the General Meeting, (as appears in the reiiort.) as it had been 

 found by the experience of the short time during which the Union had existed 

 that the subscription fixed at the first meeting of the Council, on the assurance of 

 Mr. Tait that it had been found to be sutfieicnt by the West Kiding Union, was 

 utterly inadequate to carry on even the formal business of the Union, without 

 taking into consideration the necessary expeuses connected with the more important 

 objects for which the Union was formed. Kimultaneously witli the above recom- 

 mendation of the Council of the Midland Union, a circular was addressed by tno West 

 Biding Union to its members, (a copy of which was printed last month, at page 180,) 

 Stating it to be " perfectly obvious that the coutriliutions ixiid by the afhliated 

 Societies of one penny jier member per annum are quite inadequate" for the objects 

 of the Union. The proposal which Mr. Tait mentions was referred by the General 

 Meeting to the different Societies to ascertain their opinions upon it, and surely the 

 right of the Union to govern itself, and to make such alterations in its rules as may 

 from time to time be found necessary, cannot be doubted. The subject is , 

 now under the consideration of the Societies, and will, as a matter of course, be 

 decided according to the opmions of the majority. 



Edward W. Badgeb, W. J. Harrison, Hon, Sees, to thu Council.] 



