469 



these wonderful and generally beautiful creatures, has led me to 

 consider the possibility of preserving their eggs for a sufficiently long 

 period to allow of their being brought from distant places and after- 

 wards hatched. "We might thus be able to obtain some of the more 

 delicate species, and many perhaps that a long sea voyage would 

 prevent our obtaining by any other means. 



The mere keeping fresh and sweet the eggs of birds has been ac- 

 complished in many ways : for instance, they will keep for a long 

 period imbedded in lime and water, or in fat or salt ; but by these 

 means the vitality is destroyed. It appears to me, therefore, to be 

 essentially necessary, not only to prevent evaporation, but also to 

 keep the texture and surface of the shell in its pure and perfect con- 

 dition. To accomplish this object the eggs must be newly laid, or 

 nearly so, and the following is the best method of preserving them. 



Obtain the gut of any animal whose intestine is large enough to 

 admit the egg intended to be preserved, and, having carefully cleaned 

 the gut and rendered it free from fat, dry it as much as possible in 

 powdered chalk or other earthy matter. Pass the egg into the gut, 

 tying it close to the shell at both ends of the egg, and hang it up in 

 a cool, dry place until it is quite dry. Two, three, or more eggs can 

 be tied in the same gut like a string of beads, or they can be tied 

 separately. When thoroughly dry, they may be packed up in a box 

 with oats, wheat, or any othei' dry grain or seeds, until the box is 

 quite full. The object in having the box full is for the great con- 

 venience of turning the eggs. This is accomplished by turning the 

 box bottom upwards, which should be done occasionally. Thus the 

 whole of the eggs may be efPectually turned with very little trouble. 

 The eggs thus packed must be kept in a dry, cool place, and ought 

 not to be taken out or unpacked before the means are at hand for 

 hatching them. Upon wishing to place them under a hen, or other- 

 wise, if the dry gut be cut with a sharp knife, it will peel off without 

 in any way injuring the shell of the egg. 



I was successful in hatching and rearing the young from some 

 eggs kept three months in this manner, and I have no doubt that 

 under favourable circumstances they may be kept for a longer period. 



7. On the Reptiles and Fishes collected by the Rev. H. 

 B. Tristram in Northern Africa. By Dr. A. Gunther, 

 For. Memb. Zool. Soc. 



(Pisces, PI. IX.) 



A small collection of Reptiles and Fishes, made by the Rev. H. 

 B. Tristram in the Desert, southwards of Algeria and Tunis, and 

 kindly forwarded by him for my examination, has served to give va- 

 luable information on the southward extent of several known species, 

 and proves to contain two others new to science. The collection is 

 composed of twelve Reptiles and two Fishes, most of the species 

 being represented by several specimens. 



