Journal of Proceedings. xcvii 
On the 15th of May I took two well-fledged young Starlings from their 
nest and put them into another nest in our garden, in which a Blackbird 
was just about to hatch four of her own eggs, which, however, she 
immediately left and confined her attentions to the feeding of the young 
Starlings. This she accorcqflished so satisfactorily that they left the nest 
on the 18th. 
On the 22nd I put three very young Sparrows and three very hard-set 
eggs into a Greenfinch’s nest, from which I took four hard-set eggs. I 
then took six hard-set eggs from a Whitethroat’s nest and introduced four 
fresh Sparrows eggs and a Greenfinch’s. Next I extracted two out of 
six very hard-set eggs from a Marsh Tit’s nest, and filled then’ places with 
two of the hard-set Whitethroat’s. The result was that none of these 
exchanges proved a complete failure—all going on well for a time. 
Eventually, however, the Greenfinch, from some unknown cause, deserted 
the young sparrows, and I was unable to re-find the Whitethroat’s nest 
with Sjiarrows’ eggs. The Tits, however, hatched, and reared the young 
Whitethroats till they flew. 
__ On the 21st of June I exchanged two young Swallows for two young 
Yellowhammers of about the same age. Two days after the young 
Swallows had disappeared from the Yellowhammer’s nest, but whether 
they had jumped out or flown or been taken I do not know. The 
Yellowhammers in the Swallow’s nest were fed, and went on all right, but 
several days after I found that one of them, then nearly full grown, had 
jumped out of the nest. 
These experimental interchanges go far to show that one species of bird 
may be confidently relied upon to rear the young or hatch the eggs of any 
allied species, although this does not seem to apply to the Wood Pigeons. 
On the motion of the President, a cordial vote of thanks was passed to 
Mr. Christy for his very interesting notes. 
Professor Boulger then read a lengthy paper on the Bhizocarpete (a 
class of aquatic plants allied in some respects to the Club-mosses or 
Lycopodiaceas), illustrating his remarks by the exhibition of numerous 
coloured diagrams and drawings specially prepared, and by means of 
dried specimens of the plants themselves.* 
Some conversation having taken place as to the necessity for technical 
words in Botany, a cordial vote of thanks was accorded to Professor 
Boulger. The meeting then resolved itself into the usual conversazione. 
Saturday, January 27th, 1883.— Ordinary and Annual General 
Meetings. 
The thirty-fifth Ordinary Meeting was held at the Head-quarters at 
seven o’clock, the President, Mr. B. Meldola, in the chair. 
Donations of books, pamphlets, and periodicals were announced from 
Messrs. J. Adams, H. J. Barnes, B. L. Barnes, Miss Cole, Dr. Cooke, 
Messrs. B. G. Cole, P. F. Copland, W. Emmens, W. White, and Mr. 
Searles Wood (papers and valuable manuscript and other geological 
* This paper requiring a very extensive series of illustrations, and being in other ways 
outside the scope of the Club, was subsequently withdrawn by the author. It will, we 
understand, he published elsewhere.— Ed. 
9 
