﻿xiv Proceedings. {November 15th, ipo#. 



Mr. R. W. Ellison exhibited a number of birds' eggs, 

 including speciuiens of the Great Blackbacked, Lesser Black- 

 backed, Herring and Blackheaded Gulls, the Sandwich and 

 Lesser Terns, the Ring Sand Plover and the Guillemots. The 

 selection was made with the view of demonstrating certain 

 facts as to the coloration of the eggs and its relation to that of 

 their surroundings. 



Mr. Ellison also communicated the following note : — 



Birds and their eggs are afforded much protection from 

 danger by their coloration, and where they are not so protected 

 there is generally some other factor that would make such colour 

 protection unnecessary. Without going into the many theories 

 that have been advanced with relation to the subject, I will 

 endeavour to demonstrate from my own personal observations 

 some interesting truths connected with the nidification of many 

 of our familiar birds, particularly our shore breeding birds. 



The Gulls generally build fairly substantial nests. The eggs 

 to a certain extent partake of the nature of their surroundings, 

 and the nest and the bird being always conspicuous, the colour 

 of the eggs in this case would not appear to have been 

 developed for the protection of the species. The Gulls usually 

 breed in colonies, and being strong they unite in driving off their 

 foes, and thus this species is little liable to molestation. It 

 would follow that under such circumstances the eggs would lose 

 their colouring matter and become of a lighter hue, and this 

 perhaps is what is actually happening in many of the Gulleries 

 that are scattered over the country. I have observed that many 

 eggs now partake of a light colour, and not a few specimens arc 

 found of spotless blue and in rare instances of a reddish type. 

 The bluj and the red types of eggs undoubtedly run through 

 mosl, if not all, of the different species of Gulls. It has gener- 

 ally been supposed that the Herring Gull was responsible for 

 the red type of egg that was found in the vicinity of Vardo, in 

 Norway. I have seen the red type of eggs of the Blackheaded 

 Cull taken in this country, and submit for your inspection 

 undoubted eggs of the Great Blackbacked, Herring, Lesser 



