192 
Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 
Birds of Bear Island and Spitzbergen. —From the f Bericht 3 
of the Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft of 
Frankfort-on-the-Main for 1908 we learn that on January 
18th, 1908, Prof. Dr. A. Konig, of Bonn, gave the members 
of the Society an account of his recent expedition to Bear 
Island and Spitzbergen. At Bear Island the rocks on 
the coast were covered with countless breeding-flocks of 
Guillemots ( Uria troile, U. ringvia, and U. bruennichi ) and 
other sea-birds. An excursion was made into the desolate 
interior of the island, where Charadrius hiaticola and Phala- 
ropas falicarius were found breeding, and Scoters {(Edernia 
nigra) were seen, while feathers of Sturnus vulgaris and 
Turdus iliacus and T. merula, eaten by foxes, were 
discovered. 
In Spitzbergen the party visited Prince KarPs Foreland 
and found Anser brachyrhynchus and Bernicla leucopsis 
breeding there. Two nests of Somateria spedabilis were 
obtained, and a pair of Xema sabinii with their nest and eggs 
were secured. Dr. Konig claims to have added Mareca 
penelope and Scolopax rusticula to the avifauna of Spitzbergen. 
Increased Fertility of the Domestic Fowl. —It would appear 
that in Australia the Domestic Fowl, under special treatment, 
can be greatly advanced in fertility. In the official report 
of the “ Egg-laying Competition 33 lately held at the Agri¬ 
cultural College, Roseworthy, South Australia, some sur¬ 
prising facts on this subject are given by Mr. D. F. Lawrie, 
<c Poultry-Expert and Lecturer.” Seventy-five pens, each 
of one cock and six hens, were shewn in the competition. 
The total number of eggs laid by all the 450 hens in one year 
was 80,959, making an average for each pen (of six hens) 
of 1079, and an average for each hen of 179. The special 
breeds selected for the Egg-laying Competition ” were 
White Leghorns, Black Orpingtons, and Silver Wyandottes, 
but the White Leghorns were by far the most in number. 
The pen which produced the greatest number (1531) in the 
year was of White Leghorns. These remarkable results are 
attributed to the “ continued careful breeding of laying 
