Vol. xliii.] 62 



extraordinary positions has been well proved, and I have 

 now in my pocket a letter from Dr. A. G. Butler describing 

 how he actually saw a Cuckoo lay her egg on the top of a 

 gate of which the bar was about 1^ inch wide. 



Do Mr. Chance's Cuckoos lay their eggs on broad 

 branches of trees ? 



Mr. Chance has not touched on the most fascinating of 

 all subjects connected with Cuckoos' eggs — i. e., their evo- 

 lution in regard to colour etc.; but I can sympathize very 

 heartily with him in not attempting to touch on so big 

 a subject with so little time available, and I think that 

 I myself ought to apologize for the crudeness of my own 

 remarks on this subject in my address at the last Annual 

 Dinner of the Union and Club {cf. B. 0. C. vol. xlii. p. 110). 



A general discussion followed, in which many of those 

 present took part. 



Colonel R. Sparrow exhibited some rare Cuckoos' eggs 

 and fosterers' from Natal, and an equally interesting series 

 from Deccan ; these were nearly all taken by the exhibitor. 



Mr. Herbert Massey also showed a magnificent series 

 from his collection, including the following rare British 

 fosterers : — Song-Thrush ; Blackbird ; Ring-Ouzel; Haw- 

 finch ; House-Sparrow ; Tree-Sparrow ; Twite ; Goldfinch ; 

 (yorn- and Cirl-Buntings ; Rock-Pipit ; Wood-Lark ; and 

 Bearded Tit (the last-mentioned almost unique, only one or 

 possibly two other cases being known). 



Mr. Massey's continental series included : — Northern 

 Nightingale ; Savi's Warbler ; Booted, Bonelli's, Paddy- 

 field, and River -Warblers; Great Tit; Northern Tree- 

 Creeper ; Siberian Chiffchaff ; Lesser Grey Shrike ; Mealy 

 Redpoll ; Brambling ; Ortolan, Lapland, Yellow-breasted, 

 and Red-headed Buntings ; Grey-headed Wagtail ; Red- 

 throated Pipit ; Crested Lark ; and Black Lark — together 

 with a series of six blue Cuckoo eggs, in one case with 

 Chaffinch and in five with Redstarts (Finland, 1900), and a 

 series of six Cuckoos with Garden-Warbler (very fine — 

 Brandenburg, 1893). 



