THE YOUNG NATURA.LIST. 



165 



Eggs. — The number of eggs is generally 

 four or five. The ground colour is white, 

 or very pale greyish white, with distinct 

 spots of olive brown and ashy grey chiefly 

 at the large end. 



Varieties. — A very pretty variety was 

 sent me with the nest mentioned above and 

 presented to my collection by Mr. Davis. 



THE PARCELS POST. 



The Postmaster General has given notice, 

 that on Wednesday, ist August next, he 

 will be prepared to accept at any Post 

 Office in the United Kingdom, parcels 

 intended for transmission by the Inland 

 Parcels Post under the following general 

 conditions in regard to weights, dimensions, 

 and rates of postage, viz.: — Weights and 

 Postage : For an Inland Postal Parcel of a 

 weight not exceeding ilb. the rate of 

 postage, to be prepaid in ordinary postage 

 stamps, will be 3d. ; exceeding ilb., and not 

 exceeding 3lbs., 6d. ; exceeding 3lbs., and 

 not exceeding slbs., gd. ; exceeding 5lbs., 

 and not exceeding 7lbs., is. Dimensions: 

 The dimensions allowed for an Inland 

 Postal Parcel will be — maximum length. 3ft. 

 6in. ; maximum length and girth combined, 

 6ft. Examples; A parcel measuring 3ft. 

 6in. in its longest dimensions may measure 

 as much as 2ft. 6in. in girth, i.e. around its 

 thickest part ; or a shorter parcel may be 

 thicker, e.g. if measuring no more than 

 three feet in length it may measure as much 

 as three feet in girth— t.^. around its thickest 

 part. The regulations under which certain 

 articles are prohibited for transmission by 

 the letter post will, with a few exceptions, 

 apply equally to the Parcels Post. For 

 instance gunpowder, lucifer matches, any- 

 thing liable to sudden combustion, bladders 

 containing liquid, and live animals will be 

 excluded from the Parcels Post ; but glass 

 ^ttles, fish, game, meat, and all other 



articles not above mentioned, now excluded 

 from the Letter Post, will be admitted to go 

 by Parcels Post conditionally upon their 

 being packed and guarded in so to secure a 

 manner as to afford complete protection to 

 the contents of the mails and to the officers 

 of the Post Office. Full particulars will be 

 published in a subsequent notice. 



Our attention being attracted by the 

 paragraph relating to " live animals," we 

 wrote the Postmaster General on the sub- 

 ject, informing him that Entomologists were 

 in the habit of sending larvae, &c., by post, 

 noth withstanding the prohibition, and sug- 

 gesting that some regulation should be 

 framed under which these might be per- 

 mitted to be sent by Parcels Post, instead 

 of compelling the evasion of the law as at 

 present. To this we have received the 

 following reply : — 



" General Post Office, London, 

 i2th May, 1883. 

 " Sir, — I am directed by the Post- 

 " master General to acknowledge the 

 " receipt of your letter of the 8th instant, 

 "and to inform you that the establish- 

 " ment of the Parcels Post is not intended 

 " in any way to narrow the facilities now 

 " enjoyed by the public for the transmis- 

 " sion of entomological specimens, but 

 " will rather extend them by permitting a 

 " greater weight to be carried at less cost. 

 " The question, however, of allowing ' live 

 "animals' to be transmitted by the 

 " Parcels Post has engaged the considera- 

 " tion of the Department, but so many 

 "difficulties present themselves in the 

 "endeavour to formulate a rule discrimi- 

 " Dating between one class of live animals 

 " and another, that it has been neceessary 

 " to make the prohibition against ' live 

 " animals ' absolute. 

 " I am. Sir, 



" Your obedient Servant, 



"F. S. Baines." 

 "John E. Robson, Esq." 



