Vol. xxvii.] 26 



the eye, which was blue-green, and not o£ the pale brownish 

 hue characteristic of the young bird of the first year. It 

 was quite possible that certain individuals might retain the 

 white breast for several years, if not for life. 



Dr. C. B. TiCEHURST said he was very much interested in 

 Mr. Ogil vie- Grant's exhibition, but he could not entirely 

 agree with his explanation of the sequence of plumages. 

 There seemed to be a lack of positive proof of the ages 

 assigned to some of the birds, and he further pointed out 

 that Mr. Frohawk's " white-breasted " bird could not, in 

 his opinion, be a bird of the year, but, judging from its 

 worn old plumage and from the fact that the wings and 

 tail were in moult, must be at least 15 months old. 



Mr. J. L. BoNHOTE remarked that the main point seemed 

 to be in what numbers the pure white-breasted young Cor- 

 morants were found. He personally had never seen them 

 until Mr. Frohawk''s specimen was brought forward ; they 

 were not mentioned or figured in most text-books, and the 

 local fishermen in the Scilly Isles had only seen them during 

 the last few years. On the other hand, Mr. Ogilvie- Grant, 

 Mr. Py craft, and Mr. Howard had obtained specimens in 

 Scotland and Ireland and were of opinion that in those 

 places the white-breasted form was the normal (i. e. the most 

 numerous) type of young bird. 



Mr. Bonhote suggested that these white-breasted birds 

 appeared sporadically at various colonies, and that once they 

 had appeared they might increase and swamp the darker 

 forms. Such a mutation, in view of the existence of white- 

 breasted species of Cormorants in other parts of the world, 

 seemed to him quite likely to occur. The evidence on either 

 side was, however, by no means conclusive, and he hoped 

 that Members would make further observations on the 

 subject, more especially with regard to the proportion of 

 white- and dark-breasted young in the different colonies of 

 Cormorants, 



