Ixvi. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



returned to the committee. The results of these experiments 

 show that the smaller fishes do not migrate much, but one larger 

 fish travelled 175 miles in six weeks, and another 210 miles in 

 eight months. They usually move southwards in winter, and 

 northwards in summer. Fish transplanted to the Dogger Bank 

 grew much faster than those which remained near the shore. 

 The early life history of eels is not well known, and the finding 

 of great numbers of these in the early stage, in which they have 

 received the name Leptocephalus, at a depth of 550 fathoms off 

 the Faroe Isles, is strong evidence that they breed there and 

 migrate thence, but further investigations will doubtless throw 

 more light on this obscure subject. 



At the fourth International Ornithological Congress, held in 

 London last June, attention was called, amongst many other 

 matters, to the work accomplished throughout Hungary, similar 

 to that done by our members (alas, very few!), who record the 

 earliest and latest appearance of migratory birds. It has been 

 found that swallows take 105 days to complete their migration 

 from Gibraltar to Lulea, in North Sweden. Dorset is too small 

 to act alone in this matter, but, if similar records are kept by 

 other Field Clubs in this country, their united efforts would, no 

 doubt, add much to our knowledge of this subject. The 

 breeding places of the emperor penguin were discovered by the 

 National Antarctic Expedition. The bird lays but one egg, 

 which it incubates in a standing position, keeping the egg from 

 contact with the ice by resting it on its foot. Hatching takes 

 place in the coldest month of the year August. 



In an address given at Adelaide it was stated that the starling 

 and sparrow are the most thoroughly established of European 

 birds in Victoria, the former being a great benefactor, the latter 

 not. Thrushes, blackbirds, and greenfinches have also estab- 

 lished themselves to a small extent, but the reverse is the case 

 with chaffinches, yellow-hammers, and siskins. 



A New Zealand parrot, the Kea (Nestor notabilis], has for many 

 years suffered from the reproach that it kills sheep by pecking a 

 hole in their sides to get at the kidney fat. The subject was 



