2262 The Zoologist — August, 1870. 



giren in Hewitson's ' Illustrations of British Birds' Eggs,' that I thiuk it must have 

 been laid by a bird of this species. Out of several dozens I can find no other like it 

 in form, which is " more like eggs of the razorbill." As I did not see the bird, I can 

 give no opinion upon that point. In Mr. Hewitson's description of this egg is this 

 passage, on the faith of Mr. Hancock, " However white the ground-colour may appear 

 to be, the shell of the eggs, upon holding them to the light, is always dyed with greenish 

 blue, which is not the case with eggs of the common guillemot, the ground-colour of 

 which is often tinted with yellow." I should like to know the experience of collectors 

 upon this point. So far as my limited experience goes, there seems no reliance to be 

 placed upon it, even approximately. I find that eggs of the common guillemot 

 apparently quite free from any green or blue lint are generally a dirty or yellowish 

 while when held up to the light, whilst eggs with any apparent tinge of blue or green 

 are these colours when looked through : of course the shadings of colour vary so much 

 that it is often necessary to examine very closely and discriminate very nicely as to the 

 presence of blue or green, but the above seems to me to be a rule with the eggs of the 

 common guillemot. — T. W. Gissing ; Wakejield, July \8, 1870. 



Increase of Rock Birds at Flamborough. —I am happy to say that there is a marked 

 increase in the number of sea-fowl breeding this >ear at Flamborough and the 

 adjoining cliffs. On the 20lh of June I visited Speeton and Beraplon cliffs, and 

 accompanied the egg-climbers in their round. Old Aaron, the cragsman, who has 

 been climbing for thirty-eight seasons in succession, assured me that there were a 

 greater number of fowl on the cliffs this year than he had seen for ten or twelve years, 

 though nothing to equal what there was when he was a boy. On the 22nd I took a 

 boat from Flamborough, and went along the cliffs: tlie fishermen in the boat also 

 noticed the great increase of the birds this season, and pointed out places tenanted by 

 fowl which have been vacant for ten years prior. This speaks well for the Sea-fowl 

 Preservation Act. — H. W. Feilden. 



Dwarfs.— To the north of Mani Kesock (King Kesock) are a kind of little people 

 called Malambas, who are no bigger than boys twelve years old, but very thick: they 

 live only upon flesh, which they kill in the woods with their bows and darts: they 

 bring in elephants' teeth and tails. If any stranger pass their dwelling they 

 immediately remove. They kill the pongos with poisoned arrows. Here we have Du 

 Chaillu's dwarf gip.sies much about where they should be, dealing in elephants' teeth 

 and tails. The tales of Andrew Battel puzzled me till I turned to Du Chaillu, and 

 found that elephants' tails were a great fetish. — Kingsley's 'Tales of Old Travel' 

 (P- 76.) 



Proceedings of the Entomological Society. 



Note to June Meeting. 



Since tbe Meeting, the following notes have been furnished by Major 

 Munn : — 



" At a recent Meeting at Nuremberg, the bee-masters talked of the life of 

 the queen-bee as extending to four and five years, and I am not sure that some 



