Wofes ana Comments. 



WILD birds' eggs in AN INCUBATOR. 



The ' Country-Life ' for March 2ist, iqoS, are the results 

 of some experiments made by Mr. F. G. Paynter, on the Farne 

 Islands, during the spring and summer of 1907. He collected 

 eggs of several species of shore and sea-birds that breed on the 

 islands, and placed them in a hot-air incubator, and recorded 

 the period of incubation for each species. The temperature 

 was kept as near 104 degrees as possible throughout the experi- 

 m.ent. Care was taken to ensure that the eggs were fresh, 



and the only question of doubt occurred in the egg of the 

 Razorbill, which Mr. Paynter beheved to be quite a fresh one, 

 but he could not be absolutely certain of it. ' Judging from the 

 result, we should think that this egg had been incubated for 

 several days before being placed in the incubator. The eggs of 

 the various species hatched out after the following periods of 

 incubation : — Arctic Tern and Sandwich Tern in twenty days ; 

 Oyster-catcher, Herring Gull, and Lesser Black-backed Gull in 

 twenty-one days : Ringed Plover and Razorbill in twenty-fi^ e 



1908 May I. 



