25 [Vol. XXXV. 



and 49*2 X 39-9 mm., and the smallest 46-3 x 37*3 and 

 47"4 X 36'5 mm. Eggs of this species are not represented 

 in the collection of the British Museum nor in that of Herr 

 Nehrkorn. The allied G. melanolophus lays very similar, but 

 rather narrower eggs^ of which the British Museum possesses 

 three sent by John Whitehead from the Philippines. 



Mr. D. A. Bannerman exliibited a number of rare birds 

 from islands in the Gulf of Guinea^ and made the following 

 remarks : — 



" I have recently been engaged in working upon the 

 valuable collection of birds formed by the late Mr. Boyd 

 Alexander during his last expedition to Africa, which 

 unhappily ended so disastrously. 



'^ On that expedition Alexander paid special attention to 

 three of the islands in the Gulf of Guinea — namely. Princess 

 Island, St. Thomas, and Annobon, and sent large collections 

 to the Natural History Museum from each. 



''The most remarkable feature of the Ornis of these three 

 islands is the number of indigenous forms which each 

 island possesses, in proportion to the number of residents. 

 The geological age of these volcanic islands must be very 

 great, and it will be noticed that the depth of the ocean 

 between them and the African Continent is considerably- 

 over 1000 fathoms. It generally follows that islands 

 separated from the mainland by a great depth of water 

 are rich in peculiar species, and the three islands with 

 which we are dealing are unusually striking in this respect. 



" Prince's Island, which is distant about 120 miles from 

 the African coast, has a bird-population, exclusive of sea- 

 birds and chance migrants, numbering twenty-six species, 

 of which eleven are peculiar to the island. These are : — 



1. Lamprocolius iynitus. 



2. Dicrurus modestus. 



3. Syphantornis princeps. 



4. Linurgus rufobrunneus. 



5. Cinnyris hartlaubi. 



6. Zosterops Jiccdulina, 



7. Sp)eirops leueophcea. 



8. Cuphopterus dokrni. 



9 Turdus xanthorhynchus. 



10. liaplopelia ^principalis. 



11. Psittacus erithacus princeps. 



