THE NATURALIST. 



bited was one of very great interest viz, : — 

 the ooze, from the bottom of the Atlantic, 

 brought up with the Cable of 1865, com- 

 posed of very much the same elements as 

 those found in the Barbadoes earth. Speci- 

 mens may be obtained from Mr. Collins, 

 the optician, of Great Titchfield Street, 



NORWICH naturalists' SOCIETY, 



At a Meeting of this Society held Aug. 

 27th, Mr. J. J, Eice, president, in the 

 chair, Mr, Henry Starling, of Norwich, 

 was elected a member. Mr. T. E. 

 Gunn exhibited a collection of plants and 

 fruit from Demarara, in South America. 

 Mr, H. Hickling exhibited a fine example 

 of the slow-worm, which he had caught 

 during the day. Messrs. Eice, Perry, and 

 Gunn exhibited cores of fresh captured 

 specimens of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. 



A meeting was held on the 24th 

 of September, when the chair was 

 occupied by the president, Mr. J. J, Eice. 

 Mr, T. E, Gunn, hon, sec, read a paper 

 on ' ' Birds' Eggs, their variations and 

 malformations." Birds' eggs are variously 

 tinted and mottled, in which we see a 

 design, in the adaptation of the colours, 

 for the purpose of concealment, according 

 to the habits of the various species. As a 

 rule the eggs of those birds that nest in 

 holes, or construct nests that almost com- 

 pletely exclude the light, are white (for 

 example, of the former Owls, Wood- 

 peckers, &c, ; of the latter, Dippers, Wrens, 

 and Titmice) ; as is also the case with 

 those birds that constantly sit on their eggs, 

 or leave them only for a short time during 

 the night (Harriers and Pigeons for ex- 

 ample). On the other hand, a greater part 

 of those nests that are in exposed situations 

 have eggs varying in tint, shade, and 

 markings in a remarkable degree, corres- 

 ponding v/ith the colour of objects sur- 

 rounding them ; thus a greenish or bluish 

 hue is the prevailing colour in most species 

 that form their nests in grassef?, sedges, 



reeds, &c, (for example. Swans, Ducks-^ 

 Grebes, &c,) A brown-mottled colour is 

 found in those eggs that are deposited 

 amongst heath, shingle, or stones (for 

 example. Plovers, Sandpipers, and 

 Gulls), As various as we have seen the 

 colours of eggs, so also are their forms ; 

 some oval (as Hawks and Owls), some 

 nearly round (as the Bee-eaters and King- 

 fishers), and others are large at one end 

 the otlier tapering to nearly a point (as the 

 Plovers). But from all these rules of 

 nature there are a great many exceptions, 

 which are, in a great measure, due to weak 

 or diseased parent birds. As to the varia- 

 tion in hue, there is scarcely a species the 

 eggs of which do not vary in some degree, 

 more or less, from the general colour ; for 

 instance we have white, or very pale eggs, 

 of those species the usual colour of which is 

 very dark ; others are finer or coarser 

 marked, with more or less blotches, spots, 

 and streaks, or varied shades. Mr. Gunn 

 exhibited a collection of the eggs he 

 principally referred to, which he remarked 

 would better illustrate the subject. Of all 

 the eggs of birds, none appear more subject 

 to variation than those of the Black-headed 

 Gull, or Shoulton Privit as it is familiarly 

 called in the locality which forms one of 

 its principal breeding resorts in this 

 country, examples of which are from a pure 

 white, and pale blue or green, to that of 

 the blackest brown. He exhibited a good 

 series of examples of this species. He 

 then proceeded to enumerate the various 

 deviations in their form, which is equally 

 remarkable. Some are small and round, 

 others long and narrow — these are usually 

 the last of a set of eggs, and are in most 

 instances quite devoid of yelk. He noticed 

 a very curious example of the egg of the 

 Dorking fowl, last season, that resembled 

 a crome or handle of a walking stick. 

 There are also what are commonly called 

 double eggs, which are not of unfrequent 

 occurience amongst domestic fowls. In 

 such cases, when the young are hatched, 

 they present quite sing^^lar and varied 



