NOTES AND NEWS. 97 



■at Reading, containing a clutch of pale blue eggs ; the following year I found 

 a similar clutch in the same garden, in each case the hen being on the nest. — 

 J. E. Tarbot (Wey bridge). 



I have known of the frequency of these pure white eggs of the Bullfinch 

 in Surrey for the last three years, but solely from my own experience, and 

 I curiously enough just anticipate Mr. Tarbot's remarks as to the absence of 

 records, for in my " Concise Handbook," which is probably being issued to 

 the public at the moment of writing, I have observed (p. 80), that " pure white 

 eggs, usually with normal markings, are rather common in Surrey," this 

 remark being based upon the fact that I found as many as three identified 

 sets of this variety in 1893 near Epsom. To go farther back, I have recorded 

 ("Birds of London," p. 17) the finding, by myself, of a supposed set of 

 Great Tit's eggs in a Bullfinch's nest in Richmond Park on May 24th, 1891. 

 The presence of a Great Tit near the nest, and the absolute resemblance of 

 the eggs to those of this Titmouse justified my record, but I have long 

 since become convinced that they were really eggs of the Bullfinch. It 

 would be interesting to know whether ornithologists have met with whole 

 sets of these pure white eggs in other counties than Surrey, and if so, with 

 what frequency. — H. Kirke Swann. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



We regret to hear of the death of Mr. J. A. Cooper, which was due to 

 a cold contracted last Easter. He was well known in London, and also out 

 of it, as an ardent student of ornithology. 



From Galesburg, Illinois, comes the prospectus of yet another American 

 magazine of Ornithology and Oology. It is to be a monthly magazine, 

 entitled the " Osprey," and No. 1 is to appear on September 1st, 1896. 

 Walter A. Johnson, Dr. A. C. Murchison, and Chester Barlow are the 

 editors. 



To the "Victorian Naturalist" for February, 1896, Mr. Robert Hall 

 contributes some very interesting " Notes on the Bird Fauna of the Box 

 Hill District," which lies some twelve miles to the eastward of the city of 

 Melbourne. Of a total of nearly 400 species of Victorian birds, 74 have 

 been found breeding in the district referred to, the Passerine birds, however, 

 compri.-ing seven-tenths of the total, thus showing the wooded nature of 

 the country, the most numerous families being the Meliphagidge, the 

 CompephaginEe, and the Luscinidse. 



The veteran Irish ornithologist, Mr. Robert Warren, of Ballina, con- 

 tributes to the "Irish Naturalist" for June a valuable paper on "The 



