151 [ Vol. xl. 
of the members to the interesting and important papers this 
Society (of which he was an original member) from time to 
time published. In the number which he showed was an excel- 
lent account with photographs of the nesting of the Goosander 
and Goldeneye in Finland by Mr. Hinari Merrikallis, which 
he thought would interest members. Mr. Merrikallis drew 
attention in this paper to the fact that in the part of 
Finland he visited the Goosander, through deforestation, 
had been driven to nest in other places than in hollow trees, 
and that in this district (Bottn Bay) they utilized the lofts 
of fishing-huts, barns, and sheds, also stone heaps near 
water, entrance to the lofts being made through missing 
slats in the roof. The Goldeneye, however, seems to be more 
wedded to hollow trees and less necessitous of the neighbour- 
hood of water, and so has pushed further afield away from 
colonization. In fact, he only knows of one instance of the 
Goldeneye not nesting in a hollow tree—where the birds 
bred ina church! Formerly, he only knew of one instance 
of the Goldeneye nesting away from water, but now 
apparently they frequently do so, owing to the shortage of 
hollow trees. It is, of course, well known that the farmers 
here and in Lapland farm the Goldeneye for its eggs, 
putting up nest-boxes for the purpose. Mr. Merrikallis 
cites an instance of a Goldeneye nesting in a nest-box 
placed against a telephone-pole 10 metres from the farm- 
house window—they successfully hatched out. Another 
nest-box he had under observation was in the farm premises 
close to a waggon-road and placed about 8 feet up, against 
the trunk of a spruce. He had already proved that newly- 
hatched chicks could climb up without assistance the steep 
sides of a vessel 32 cmm. high, and by careful watching 
he was able to prove in what way the young reached the 
ground. Various writers have recorded, apparently on 
hearsay, that they are carried down in the female’s bill. 
What happened at this nest-box was this: the female flew 
up to the entrance-hole and remained there about ten 
minutes, and then fluttered down to the ground about 
10 metres distance from the tree ; immediately afterwards 
