74 



of Colchester, under the name of var. approxiniaria, and he 

 understood that it was a recurrent form in that district, 

 though by no means a frequent one. 



Mr. W. J. Lucas exhibited specimens of the flowers of 

 Viola palustris from Esher Common, and observed that it 

 was remarkable how quickly the blossoms developed when 

 once the leaves had begun to appear. 



Mr. F. M. B. Carr exhibited eggs of Sternus minutus, the 

 lesser tern, and contributed the following note : 



" While staying at Hythe, Kent, in June, 1894, we found 

 a large colony of the lesser tern on the big expanse of beach 

 between Hythe and Dymchurch. A soldier, with whom my 

 father had a chat, said that he had never been able to find 

 any eggs, though he had searched for them several days. 

 We therefore determined to have a good look for them, but 

 after spending several hours we almost gave it up as a bad 

 job. A few days afterwards, however, my father hit on a 

 new plan of campaign, which was for both of us to sit down 

 in different places, and when we saw the bird settle to make 

 for the place. We were much encouraged to find the tactics 

 successful at the first trial, but even when we were on the 

 spot, so perfectly were the eggs protected by the exactly 

 similar colouring to their surroundings, that for a few 

 minutes we could not see them. Possibly, had there only 

 been one it would have remained undiscovered, but as there 

 were three, they naturally would attract the eye, all being of 

 the same shape. After this we found about thirteen nests, 

 or rather lots^ for the bird makes no nest at all, laying its 

 eggs on the bare stones, sometimes in a slight hollow. 

 When once one had ' got one's eye in ' the eggs did not 

 seem so difficult to see, but of course on a large expanse of 

 fiat country it is extremely difficult to mark a spot, and in 

 many cases, when the bird flew up too soon, we were un- 

 successful. It seems marvellous how the parent birds can 

 remember where their eggs are. The young bird is a very 

 pretty little creature, much resembling the eggs in colour, 

 yellow spotted with black. I came across one which could 

 not have been very old, as there was an unhatched egg with 

 it, but it immediately began walking away, and seemed 

 quite active. It struck me that if there were a dozen or two 

 of these youngsters wandering about away from their homes, 

 the mother birds would have some difficulty in finding and 

 identifying their offspring. The stones, amongst which the 

 eggs are laid, are for the most part of almost exactly the 

 same colour, and speckled with brown and grey." 



