1905-1906.] 415 



autumn, that hitherto very rare visitor, the Lapland Bunting, 

 having been obtained in large numbers. Messrs. Gough, Orr, 

 Gallway, and May continued the discussion. 



"birds' INESTS." 



The second informal Wednesday meeting of the session 

 was held on December 13th, when Professor Gregg Wilson, 

 D.Sc, F.R.U.I., gave a lecture on "Birds' Nests," the Vice- 

 President (Mr. R. Patterson, F.Z.S.) being in the chair. Owing 

 to the largeness of the audience, the meeting had to be held in 

 the large room of the Museum, instead of the Clubroom, where 

 these informal meetings are usually held. The lecture, \vhich 

 was most interesting, was illustrated by a beautiful set of 

 lantern slides, mostly prepared from photographs taken by fi 

 former pupil of the lecturer. In the course of his remarks Dr. 

 Wilson said — "The normal bird provides a nest tO' serve as a 

 hatching chamber for its eggs and a nursery for its young ; but 

 a number of species shirk this duty. Thus the guillemot and 

 razor-bills lay their eggs on bare rock ; the stone-curlew places 

 its on the unprepared surface of a field ; the oyster-catcher 

 lays on the open shore. Yet in all these cases there is a certain 

 amount of protection provided for the egg. The shape of the 

 guillemot's egg keeps it from rolling into the sea ; the carefully- 

 selected cranny in which the razorbill places its egg gives greater 

 security ; the stone-curlew evidently chooses its laying ground 

 for safety, and returns to the same spot year after year ; and 

 the oyster-catcher's eggs are protected by their resemblance to 

 the stones among which they lie. The cuckoo does not build, 

 but its eggs are laid in another bird's nest, and cared for by a 

 foster-mother. 



Nests are formed in different environments, and of varied 

 form and materials. The nests of lark, meadow pipit, snipe, 

 pheasant, and partridge are on the ground ; those of sand 

 martins are in burrows, while many nests are in bushes or trees. 



D 



