140 Vertebrate Zoology in Yorkshire, 



The first jump or two were short, the next six feet, a shorter one, six feet 

 again, another short one, then 9 ft., 6 ft., 9 ft., and 6 ft. in succession, 

 and where the ground decUned, 12 ft., with finally two or three short jumps 

 to the hedge. The measurements were taken between the prints of each 

 fore feet. 



Mr. William Hewett contributed Notes on the Cuckoo, and said that 

 Mr. Massey, Manchester, who possessed an unrivalled collection of the 

 eggs of the Cuckoo and those of its ' foster parents,' disputed Mr. Howard 

 Saunders' statement that one Cuckoo sometimes deposits two and even 

 three eggs in the same nest, holding that where there were two or more 

 Cuckoo eggs in any nest they were deposited by different birds. 

 From the same informant he had it that the eggs of this species varied 

 from 19.5 to 24.5 millimetres in length and from 14.5 to 18.75 in breadth. 

 Mr. Hewett stated that he both heard and saw a bird on two occasions 

 on April 5th, 1894, for the first time that year, as he was crossing Strensall 

 Common, and was within a few yards of it on the second occasion. This 

 is an unusually early date, and much before the average. Suspected 

 Cuckoo's eggs, a German collector had discovered, were best tested by 

 their weight, the empty shells weighing from 25 to 30 per cent, more than 

 those of similar size laid by any other passerine bird. 



Maps and views of the Crossbills district, selected for one of the Union's 

 excursions during the summer, brought by Mr. J. Holmes, were screened, 

 revealing many of the beauty-spots to be investigated. These were sup- 

 plemented by descriptive notes, and a few pictorial examples of the fauna. 



Mr. Booth contributed a talk on ' Seals,' illustrated by beautiful 

 photographic slides, the work of Mr. Fortune. Of the five species, ringed, 

 harp, hooded, common and grey, he regarded the two latter only as being 

 positively British. As both were grey, it was unfortunate that name 

 should be applied to one. But there were great differences between the 

 two, the common seldom attaining a length of 5 ft. whilst the so-called 

 Grey approached 11 and 12 ft. Consequently size was always a safe 

 guide to identification. He referred to the differences already described 

 in The Naturalist (March, p. iii). Mr. Booth also made comparisons 

 between seals and sea lions, and pointed out in a wealth of other informa- 

 tion that the seals were specialised in greater degree for an aquatic life 

 than were the sea lions. 



Mr. Jasper Atkinson exhibited a number of slides of birds of the 

 wading orders, most of which were from his own photographs, secured in 

 Holland and in varioiis parts of England. He supplemented these by 

 appropriate remarks of habitat and habit, and read a printed article of Mr. 

 Fortune's on ' The Roseate Tern,' which he was able to illustrate by his 

 own work. Mentioning the suspected nesting of the Little Ringed Plover 

 at Ravenglass he urged that it would be extremely interesting to obtain 

 proof of the breeding of this form at a station so far north. 



A hearty vote of thanks was passed to all contributing and the president 

 and secretary were empowered, if circumstances permit, to arrange for the 

 usual meeting next November, the place being left open. 



W. GREAVES. 

 : o : 



Reported Nesting* of the Stonechat in Upper Wharfe- 

 dale. — Mr. D. Sutcliffe informs me that the young Stonechats 

 were not in the nest, as I stated in my West Riding Vertebrate 

 Zoology Report for 1917 (ante, p. 35). What he saw on July 

 23rd or 24th, 1917 (not on July i6th), near to the lime works 

 at Threshfield, was an adult pair of Stonechats and three or 

 four young birds ; which appeared to be a family party. — H. 

 B. Booth, Ben Rhydding. 



