[Proc. B.N.F.C. 



Zoological Section. 



" THE MARKINGS OF NESTLING BIRDS. 



The members of this Section met in the Museum, College 

 Square North, on the 26th February, the Vice-President (Mr. 

 Nevin H. Foster, M.B.O.U.) in the chair. Mr. Foster first 

 showed under the microscope specimens of the new Irish 

 Woodlouse Trichoniscus pygmceus, which he had lately discovered 

 at Hillsborough. This is an addition to the Irish fauna of much 

 interest, since, up till quite recently, this species was only known 

 from Christiania in Norway, but lately specimens have been got 

 from places in England and one place in Scotland. The members 

 warmly congratulated Mr. Foster upon his important discovery. 

 Mr. Robert Patterson, F.L.S., then read a short paper on "The 

 Markings of Nestling Birds." He said many members of the 

 Club had spent a vast amount of energy in amassing collections of 

 empty egg shells, while they had been overlooking a field of 

 investigation which promised to yield interesting results, viz., 

 the condition of the nestling young and their markings. The 

 problems to be solved were many, and their solution would 

 probably be most important to the student of evolution and 

 classification. There were two extreme types of nestlings to be 

 met with among British birds — the active down-clad type, and the 

 type which left the egg perfectly naked and blind, and which, 

 therefore, was for some time quite helpless. Mr. Patterson asked 

 the members of the Club to assist in the investigations that were 

 going to be carried out this summer, by never missing a chance 

 of examining newly-hatched birds. Very careful notes should be 

 taken of the kind of bird, the nature of the nestling, site, and the 

 relative amount of light which reached the interior of the nest. 

 Whenever possible photographs should be taken, but they must 



