188 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 



Also a clutch from Kent, the lower portions of which are 

 almost without pigment ; the division between the pig- 

 mented and un-pigmented portions is sharply defined round 

 the whole egg. 



Knot (Trimja camitus). A clutch of 4 reputed Turn- 

 stone's eggs from North Iceland. These eggs are, however, 

 quite unlike the eggs of this species, and are, in tlie opinion 

 of the exhibitor, undoubtedly those of the Knot. They 

 agree exactly with the description by Dresser ('Birds of 

 Europe,' Eggs, p. 704<) both in coloration and measure- 

 ments as well as in weight, and are very much like two of 

 those figured. 



Description : ground-colour creamy white tinged with 

 green. Surface-markings rich brownish black; these vary 

 in size from a pin's head to a pea, and are mostly confined 

 to the tops (apparently one of the characteristics of the 

 Knot). Underlying markings greyish brown tinged with 

 mauve ; these are large and conspicuous, and also mostly 

 confined to the broader half. Weight (average 4 eggs) 

 0-857 gr. They are very distinctive, and do not agree on 

 comparison with any other eggs of the Limicolse. 



The Chairman exhibited : — 



(a) A series of eggs of the Birds of Paradise, comprising 

 a remarkable number of species. 



(b) A series of eggs of the finches of the Galapagos 

 Islands. These are extremely rare ; the only other known 

 specimens are believed to be those in the California Academy, 

 as those in Nehrkorn's collection came from Tring. 



Owing to changes going on in the Galapagos Islands, it 

 is probable that these birds will shortly become extinct. 



(c) A pair of perfectly spherical eggs, one of a Bustard 

 from Nyasaland (^Lissotis melanoyaster) , and one of a gigantic 

 land-tortoise, for comparison of shape. 



Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker exhibited a series of 30 eggs of 

 Gtjpaetus barbatus, taken (Avith one exception) in the Hima- 

 layas. The series included eggs which the exhibitor believed 

 to be the largest and the smallest yet recorded, viz. 94*6 by 



