OF HARTING. 2/1 



limited to the stubbles in September, and the covers 

 and hedgerows the remaining months of the shooting 

 season, banteringly challenged me to show him an egg 

 which he would be unable to identify. I accordingly 

 ventured to test his Oological skill with a specimen 

 I had not long before received from Valparaiso. After 

 having feigned a long and critical examination of it, 

 he with a meaning smile, pronounced it to be a ... 

 hens egg ! I shook my head dissentingly as if it were 

 utterly impervious to the joke, which in truth was 

 obvious enough. 'Not a HEN'S egg!' was his ex- 

 clamation of unmitigated surprise. ' No,' I replied. 

 Glancing archly at the company, who with the delicacy 

 of good breeding were endeavouring to suppress a 

 smile at my apparent simplicity, he deliberately re- 

 peated, and with increased emphasis. 'Not a HEN'S 

 egg!' 'No.' 'Well, that is odd ! Isn't this a hen's 

 egg?' pointing successivefy to several eggs in the 

 collection, ' and this ? and this ? and this ?' To each of 

 which questions I of course replied in the affirmative. 

 ' And yet you wish me to believe that the one I hold 

 in my hand is not a hen's egg!' 'You have most 

 accurately represented my meaning,' I said. 'Well 

 then,' he persisted, ' I should like to know by what 

 process of reasoning you can make it appear that it 

 really is not a hen's egg.' ' By simply assuring you,' 

 was my final answer, ' that it was laid by an alligator !!' 

 I may add that the laugh this time was in my favour, 

 and that the astute Oologist who had conducted the 

 enquiry, joined in it as heartily as the rest of the 

 company." Our Ornithological reminiscenses extend 

 over a period of perhaps thirty years, be the same 

 more or less, as the lawyers say ; and during that time 

 two specimens of the rare Black Redstart (Ruticilla 

 tithys) have, to our knowledge, been shot in the parish. 

 We also suspect that other individuals of the species 

 have been seen here, from the fact that a few years 

 since, two or three juvenile naturalists were on one 

 occasion in eager pursuit of an alleged Black Robin. 



