68 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on [Ibis, 



bis-s:er than the Falcons themselves, from the stomachs of the 

 latter. 



From what I have seen of these Falconets and their 

 hunting, they seem to stoop at their prey on the wing, just 

 as the larger Falcons do, striking it, when successful, with 

 the hind claw, ripping the back open, and hurling it to the 

 ground, where the slaughter is finished and the bird con- 

 sumed as it lies. When, however, the bird is a very small 

 one, such as a White-eye or a Mimia, it is carried to the 

 nearest tree to be eaten at leisure and in comfort. 



IV. — Erythrism in Birds' E(/ffs : an Address read at the 

 Third Oological Dinner on 26 September, 1917, by E. C. 

 Stuart Baker, M.B.O.U. 



Amongst the eggs I am exhibiting to-night there are perhaps 

 very few that are startling either on account of their great 

 rarity or exceptional coloration, but they serve to illustrate 

 some remarks I would like to make on the subject generally 

 of erythristic oology. 



In the first place, it seems to me that the term erythrism 

 has been too generally used, both by egg-collectors and 

 oologists, as applying merely to abnormal red coloration in 

 those eggs which normally show none. It should, however, 

 be given a far wider interpretation than this, for it means, 

 roughly speaking, the fact of being, or the act of becoming, 

 red. If this is correct, then it follows that erythrism can be 

 at once divided into two classes, normal and abnormal, and 

 these again, esj)ecially the former, subdivided into, many 

 others. 



As yet, so far as I know, normal erythrism in eggs has 

 never been studied in connection with the classification of 

 birds ; yet it is possible that it may prove to be quite an 

 important item amongst the many ways in which we egg- 

 lovers believe that our particular branch may be of value. 

 As regards abnormal erythrism, nothing further seems to 



