cg 
vou. x1.J 3 NOTES. 937 
grounds, and I believe that they will in time agree with 
me in principle and interpretation of the facts. 
Ernst HARTERT. 
{Now that Dr. Hartert has designated the Vesteraal Islands 
as the terra typica of Linnieus’s Alca arctica, we think that 
nothing can be gained by further discussion of this subject 
at present. The supposition that birds from Christiansund 
are intermediate or identical with the British race rests 
on the evidence of the one perfect skin in the British 
Museum. Until a series from this district is available for 
comparison, the status of the south Norwegian birds must 
remain undetermined.—-Eps. | 
THIRD OoLocicaL Dinner.—A full report of the Third 
Oological Dinner, which took place on September 26th, 
1917, at Pagani’s Restaurant, will be found in the Ibis, 
1918, pp. 179-187. The subject chosen for illustration was 
Erythrism, and some wonderful series of “‘ red ” eggs were 
exhibited, perhaps the most striking being Mr. H. Massey’s 
series of erythristic eggs of Larus argentatus and L. marinus. 
Mr. Stuart Baker’s address is also reprinted (¢. c., pp. 68-75) 
and will be found of much interest to Oologists. 
ConTINENTAL Coat-Tits In Dorset.—Mr. W. P. Curtis 
states (Proceedings Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian 
Field Club, XX XVIL., p. 150) that he is satisfied that he was 
able to identify two Coal-Tits as belonging to this race (P. a. 
ater) after watching them on several occasions at a distance 
of twenty feet at Parkstone, Dorset, in the later part of 
January, 1915. 
British WitLtow-Tits in Dorset. — Messrs. W. P. and 
H. E. Curtis state (Proceedings Dorset Natural History and 
Antiquarian Field Club, XXXVIL., p. 152) that they identified 
two pairs of these birds (P. atricapillus kleinschmidtr) at 
Canford, Dorset, in 1915. The first pair was watched boring 
out a hole in a rotten oak-limb on April 4th, while the second 
was similarly engaged on a holly stump on May Ist, and 
subsequently laid four eggs therein but then deserted. This 
second pair was also watched by Dr. F. G. Penrose, who agreed 
with the identification, which is also confirmed by their mode 
of nidification. This would appear to be the first definite 
record of this species from Dorset, where, of course, the Marsh 
Tit (P. palustris dresseri) is a common species. 
Woop-WrReEN IN Co. Fermanacu.—lIn the Irish Nat., 1917, 
p- 196, Mr. J. P. Burkitt states that a Wood-Wren 
