30 [ Vol. xl. 
spaces along the shaft being bare. At the time, the sand 
given to this bird was very fine river-sand—almost pul- 
verized mud. As Mr. La Touche happened to have at hand 
some coarse mountain-sand, he substituted this sand for the 
river-sand, thinking that this might cause the bird to moult 
properly. The effect of this change was almost imme- 
diate ; in a few days the bird grew a normal tail, the former 
plumes remaining as appendages to the new rectrices. 
The plumes gradually dropped off as the tail grew, and 
one of them was secured. It was shown to the members at 
the meeting. 
Mr. La Touche’s pet Pterorhinus davidi, now in the 
Zoological Society’s Gardens, also moulted badly that season 
its wing-quills and tail, but these grew to their full size, 
weak, but without degenerating into plumes. The defect in 
this bird’s new plumage was also evidently caused by the 
mud-sand. 
Mr. P. F. Bunyarp exhibited a series of eggs showing 
scratches and abrasions, and made the following remarks :— 
The presence of scratches on eggs is a question which 
does not appear to have been investigated. In referring to 
the eges of the Capercaillie, Newton suggests in ‘ Ootheca 
Wooleyana’ that they are caused at birth, but does not 
indicate how; it has also been stated or at least suggested by 
some that they were caused by the birds treading on them. 
I have always been very sceptical about accepting this latter 
theory ; I therefore decided the matter was of sufficient 
interest to warrant further investigation. 
The careful examination of a large number of eggs of 
the Capercaillie ( Tetrao urogallus) and of the Honey-Buzzard 
(Pernis apivorus), both of which havea very large percentage 
of scratched eggs, nearly all of which I find are scratched at 
the large ends and the direction of the scratches on other 
paris are mostly in that direction, on some the scratches are 
so deep into the surface-pigment, especially on those of P. api- 
vorus, that 1 concluded it was a matter of impossibility for 
Cc 
