25 



[Vol. xxxi. 



and G. sharpei. As a general rule, the ground-colour of 

 these eggs was of a faint greyish-white or yellowish-white, 

 and the markings consisted of larger blotches of light reddish 

 and smaller ones of lavender and pale neutral tint. These 

 eggs were also more like eggs of the Balearic Cranes as 

 regarded their texture than those of the typical Cranes, 

 such as Grus grus, &c, being very hard, with a considerable 

 amount of gloss. 



Mr. H. F. Witherby exhibited a map of the world on a 

 large scale, mounted on rollers, which had been presented 

 to the Club by Capt. H. Lynes, R.N. He said that this 

 map would prove or* great value to the Members of the Club 

 and supply a much-felt want at their meetings. 



The Chairman proposed that a letter of thanks should be 

 sent to Capt. Lynes. This was unanimously agreed to. 



Mr. D. Seth-Smith exhibited a nestling of Larus hcm- 

 prichij hatched in the Zoological Gardens in the summer of 

 1912, and pointed out that whereas the young of most Gulls 

 had a spotted downy plumage, that of L. hemprichi was of 

 a pale buffy-white without any distinct markings. Another 

 young bird of this species had been hatched under a domestic 

 hen and successfully reared. 



An egg of Hemprich's Gull was also exhibited 



The Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain inquired if any record had 

 been kept of the incubation-period of Hemprich's Gull, as 

 statistics of this kind, though of great value to naturalists, 

 were seldom recorded. The Zoological Gardens afforded ex- 

 ceptional opportunities for ascertaining the number of days 

 occupied in the incubation of a large number of species 

 concerning which little or nothing was known. The period 

 of incubation no doubt varied considerably even in young 

 hatched by their own parents ; but when domestic hens 



* [There is a large series of eggs of L. hemprichiin the Natural History 

 Museum, taken by Col. E. A. Butler on Astolah Island off the Mekran 

 coast [cf. Cat. Eggs Brit. Mus. i. p. 209 (1901)].— Ed.] 



