81 [Vol. xii. 



the wing gave the large measurement of 19 j inches against 

 18 inches in the largest specimen of A. cinereus in his 

 collection. It did not, however, reach the end of the tail 

 by 1 inch, whereas in all specimens of the latter bird the 

 wings reached to, or slightly beyond, the end of tail. This 

 gave to A. rubrirostris a longer and more slender body than 

 A. cinereus. These observations had been made on the five 

 specimens before they were skinned. Mr. Stuart Baker 

 had since fully identified this specimen as being the A. rubri- 

 rostris he had met with in India. 



Mr. Coburn also exhibited a curious specimen of a Bean 

 Goose (Anser fubalis) shot on the 25th February, 1896, at 

 St. Abb's Head, Scotland. Mr. Eugene "VV. Oates and 

 Mr. Stuart Baker had kindly examined this bird, which 

 was found to differ in size and coloration of bill from all 

 specimens of Grey Geese in the National Collection. In 

 size and shape the bill approached nearest to that of A. ne- 

 glectus, but it was of a clear dull orange-yellow colour from 

 base to nail, the latter being black. There was a remarkable 

 and sharply-defined elongated patch of black on the centre 

 of the culmen, which did not reach the base of the bill by a 

 quarter of an inch. The bird was of large size, and a further 

 remarkable character was that the neck, measured from the 

 flesh, was nearly 3 inches longer than in any specimen of 

 A. fabalis in Mr. Coburn' s collection. 



It had been suggested that this bird might be regarded as a 

 new species, but further material was needed. There were 

 traces of black on the underparts, and a white patch of 

 feathers was present at the base of the bill. 



Mr. H. Munt made some remarks on an egg of the Satin 

 Bower-bird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) which he had exhi- 

 bited at the last Meeting. This egg had been laid by a bird 

 in confinement, and no possibility of an incorrect identifica- 

 tion existed ; but as Dr. Bowdler Sharpe had been inclined to 

 doubt the authenticity of the egg in question, Mr. Munt had 

 made a further study of the subject, and had found that his 



