48 Meetings of Section III. 



white with dark purple and light purple spots, bearing' no 

 resemblance to eggs of the Blackcap from Europe. The 

 bird itself cannot be separated from Sylvia atricapilla, although 

 the curious melanistic form S. heineckeni occurs in the crater 

 of the island of Las Palmas, as it likewise does in Madeira. 



The Canarian Kestrel frequently lays white eggs, as does 

 also the Chaffinch (Fringilla canariensis), whose normal 

 eggs except in being larger resemble those of F. cœlebs. 



There was some further discussion, in which Dr. R. Blasius 

 and Messrs. R. H. Read and E. Bidwell and the President 

 took part. 



Mr. Robert H. Read then exhibited a case of eggs, 

 including varieties of Sylvia cinerea, Acrocephalus phragmitis, 

 and others, ranging from pure white through greenish-brown 

 to red. He remarked that the variation of colour in eggs 

 of similar species in different climates was doubtless 

 influenced by the state of the liver as well as by the difference 

 in food. 



With regard to the eggs of Erithacus rubecula, he said that 

 he met with white or very pale varieties so frequently that he 

 was tempted to think they might be reverting to a white type, 

 as being laid in covered sites, the markings were of no pro- 

 tective value to them. 



Although the coloration of a heavily-marked egg was no 

 doubt due to an abundance or excess of colouring matter in 

 the glands, the light egg in a set of Passer montanus was 

 not always the last laid, as he had found by marking the 

 eggs of an incomplete set. 



With regard to variation in eggs of Alauda arvensis, he 

 found that not only the eggs, but also the nesting material 

 differed in coloration according to the colour of the soil, both 

 nests and eggs on a light sandy soil being of a light sandy 

 tint, whilst a nest and eggs from a dark soil were both of a 

 much darker tint than the preceding. 



The President then declared the meeting of the Section 

 closed. 



