394 Bulletin of the British 



copy of this rare volume in the possession of Prof. Newton, 

 at Cambridge. Mr. Sclater exhibited the Zoological Society's 

 MS. copy of this book, which was formerly in possession of 

 the late Charles Telfair, C.M.Z.S. The work was most 

 interesting to ornithologists as containing an account by an 

 eye-witness in 1671 of the plumage and habits of the 

 Solitaire or Dodo of Rodriguez. It was now known that 

 the name of the author of the volume was Du Bois, and that 

 it was published in Paris in 1674. [Cf. Newton^ Trans. 

 Zool. Soc. vi. p. 374.) 



Mr. E. BiDWELL invited the members to the Upper Hall, 

 where an exhibition of Cuckoos' eggs and those of the foster- 

 parents had been prepared; but before the adjournment for 

 that purpose, he made a few remarks as to the scope of the 

 exhibition. He also drew attention to the important dif- 

 ference in the weight of the Cuckoo's egg when compared 

 with that of the majority of those of their foster-parents. 

 By their much heavier weight the eggs of the Cuckoo 

 could nearly always be distinguished. 150 eggs in his own 

 collection, measured and weighed by him, gave the following 

 results : — 



Longest egg 24*50 millimetres. 



Shortest egg 1950 „ 



Broadest egg ... 18-75 „ 



Narrowest egg .. . 14*50 „ 



Largest egg 23*50 X 18*75 millimetres. 



Smallest egg ... 19*50x14*50 



Heaviest egg ... 312 milligrammes. 



Next heaviest egg 279 „ 



Lightest egg ... 141 „ 



Next lightest egg 147 „ 



The Members of the B. O. C. who exhibited specimens 

 of eggs were as follows :— 



Cuckoos'. Fosterers'. 



E. BiDWELL 158 49 



P. Crowley 71 37 



