143 [Vol. xli. 



THE NINTH OOLOGICAL DINNER. 



The Ninth Oological Dinner was held at Pagani's 

 Re'taurant on 23rd March, 1921. Lord Rothschild took 

 the Chair at 7 o'clock, thirty members and their guests being 

 present. 



Mr. Edgar Chance made a very remarkable exhibit of 

 eggs o£ the Red-backed Shrike. These eggs were the full 

 layings throughout a season of 40 birds. Of these 40 series 

 only four had laid five sets each in the season, and of the 

 remainder 18 laid four sets each, and 18 laid three sets 

 each. 



By this series Mr. Chance was able to show comparisons 

 between eggs taken from precisely the same breeding site or 

 territory in different seasons, sometimes consecutive and 

 sometimes not. His observations made over a period of 

 years, and covering 500 nests of the Shrike, demonstrate 

 that whereas in some instances eggs of the same ground- 

 colour are found in the same breeding-territory in con- 

 secutive seasons, yet in other instances such is not the case. 



Mr. Chance's opinion is that, whereas the eggs of the 

 Red-backed Shrike laid by the same female in the same 

 season are invariably identical, yet they may be subject to 

 decided variation in different seasons. 



The exhibit also demonstrated conclusively that the taking 

 of the first and second layings of this bird does not 

 materially reduce the number of the species reared. On 

 one occasion three " sixes " were obtained from the same 

 bird, and as often as not the second laying contained as 

 many, or more, eggs than the first. 



Mr. E. T. Crosoer showed a small number of clutches of 

 the Red-backed Shrike and the Spotted Flycatcher. 



