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EGGS.

3. Goldfinch. 2. Magpie. 3. Bullfinch. 4. Starling. 5. Chaffinch. 6. Raven,
7. Linnet. 8. Rook. 9. Wren.

Birds’ Nests, Eggs
and Eg¢g-Collecting

By R. Kearton, F.Z.S.

Illustrated with 22 Coloured Plates

Cassell and Company, Limited
London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne

First published February 1890.

Reprinted June 1890, May 1893.
New and Enlarged Edition, January 1896.
Reprinted Jume 1896, November 1898, July 1900, March 1902,
September 1908, July 1905, December 1907, January 1918,
1916, January and November 1919, Jwne 1921,

ty

T,

y 1915, Ne

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PREFACE

oe

Tus very kindly reception by the press, and a steady public
appreciation, have led to this endeavour to make my little
book more complete, by preparing an Enlarged Edition,
including all British-breeding birds that have now any
reasonable claim for treatment. The work deals with a
number of more or less familiar winter visitors that do
not stay to breed with us; however, this is perhaps an
advantage nowadays, when we all travel much and far.

As mentioned in the preface to the first Edition, this
book is not intended to encourage the useless collecting
of birds’ eggs from a mere bric-d-drac motive, but to aid
the youthful naturalist in the study of one of the most
interesting phases of bird life. It is to be hoped that the
Act of Parliament empowering County Councils to protect
either the eggs of certain birds, or those of all birds
breeding within a given area, will be of great benefit to
many of our feathered friends.

Besides a pretty extensive experience, I have, in the
preparation of this work, sought the aid of such excellent
authorities as Yarrel (fourth Edition), Seebohm, Dixon,
and others, to all of whom I gratefully acknowledge my

indebtedness.
R. KEARTON,

Borzuam Woop, Exsreez, Herts,
1896.

BIRDS’ NESTS, EGGS, AND EGG-
COLLECTING

—o——

INTRODUCTION.

The Problem of Preservation—As a rule the
first subject to which the young naturalist turns his at-
tention is the most interesting one within his reach, and
that subject is undoubtedly found in bird-life; particu-
larly that portion of it which concerns the nests, eggs,
young, and various modes of nidification, for this is
really the kernel of ornithology. Its details teach him
the utility of systematic study and close observation, two
important points in all matters of scientific research.

It is my intention in the following pages to furnish
as full and interesting particulars on Oology, which may
fairly be entitled to the dignity of a science, as can be
found, or is likely to be required, in any popular treatise of
its modest compass.

This particular branch of natural history has been
until lately but indifferently studied—in fact, considered
unworthy of higher attention than that which could be
bestowed upon it by schoolboys. People have been content
to know that the wonderful architecture and mechanism
of a bird’s nest was the outcome of a force vaguely known
as instinct, without taking the trouble to discover its
workings, extent, or limits.

6 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

Instinct is an extremely difficult power to define, and
whether it be described as “ hereditary habit,” or simply
accepted as an unknown law of Nature blindly followed
by its possessor, it cannot be denied that it is the outcome
of conditions, and always amenable to them. If the word
mystery were often substituted for instinct, it would not
be at all out of place, for it means quite as much. Ié is
more honest to acknowledge our ignorance than to fence it
round by speculative theory or cover it by almost mean-
ingless phrases. Survival of the fittest is undoubtedly
Nature’s great law. With this end in view she governs
and regulates the actions of birds in exactly the same way
as she controls the colour and character of their plumage,
shape, size, tint, and number of their eggs, first move-
ments of their young, and other peculiarities we do not
understand.

If we grant that birds possess highly-developed imita-
tive faculties and tenacious memories, with a discriminating
power which enables them to adapt certain habits of life
to surrounding conditions, even this fails to explain a
great deal. Supposing it is the secret of their beautiful
nest-building, the house sparrow adopting trees to nest in
where the houses are built of brick and lack crevices, or
the faleon deserting its usual high inaccessible crag and
nesting on the ground ; it cannot possibly account for a
young duck taking the water directly it has left the shell,
or the habit of young plovers, snipes, grouse, and other
birds crouching flat when danger is overhead even as soon
as they are hatched. A stronger point still is migration,
for birds cannot return to their old haunts by a memory
of landmarks, as pigeons do even %n their longest flights,
for they fly over immense bodies of water and traverse

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 7

vast tracts of land by night, on wings the length and
strength of which have been specially developed for such
long flights. Some fly across great stretches of country,
yet are never seen except at the points from whieh they
start and finish their flight. Neither can these journeys
be performed always under the guidance of leaders, for all
migratory birds do not travel in flocks.

I will endeavour to point out how Nature hae solved
the problem of preservation; and it is equally interesting
whether by the self-governed action of the bird, or the
blind following of an impulse known only as instinct,
Because we are unable to find any protective colouration
in the plumage of a bird, its eggs or nest, we must not
conclude that such peculiarity is a mere accident or useless
decoration, for it either serves some wise end unknown to us,
or has done so in far past ages, and is perpetuated because
its possession is not distinctly harmful, and may at some
future date be again called into requisition against danger.
The extinction of nearly all birds whose existence is
reasonably well known has not been due to natural causes,
but to man or the influence his civilisation has introduced.
Nature never made such a mistake as the introduction of
rabbits and sparrows into Australia. They are two potent
forces turned loose into practically unrestricted space, with-
out any of their natural limiting influences.

Protective Colouring of Birds.—The protective
colour of the plumage of certain birds is the great source
of their safety during incubation. For instance, birds
which nidificate on the ground, such as Black ‘and Red
Grouse, Pheasants, Partridges, and Sandpipers, all subject
to the depredations of winged and creeping enemies, are
preserved by the modification of their tints. The same

8 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

means of security attend their eggs and downy young,
even the extreme simplicity of their nests aiding the escape
of detection. Birds whose down has protected them
during the early part of their history, become aware of
the dangers which threaten a more conspicuous plumage,
which is a marvellous thing, whether acquired by reasoning
or instinct. This is proved by the action of birds of the
sameorder. The Golden Plover, with plumage m harmony
with the surroundings of her nest (her feathers being still
further subdued in colour during the breeding season), sits
much closer than the Green Plover, although a shyer bird,
with eggs possessing the same protective qualities. The
Green Plover knows her plumage is much more conspicuous
than her eggs, and quietly slips away before danger ap-
proaches half so near as the golden plover will allow it.

I am surprised to find so great an authority as Darwin
assert that “the species which represent each other in
distinct countries will almost always have been exposed to
different conditions, but we can hardly attribute to this
action the modification of the plumage in the males alone,
seeing that the females and the young, though similarly
exposed, have not been affected.”

Possibly such may be the case where no protective
modification is necessary in the female or young; but what
about the fact that female Red Grouse differ much in the
colour of their plumage, according to the conditions under
which they live, though the males are left totally unaffected ?
Instance the female Grouse, known as the ‘“ Moss-hen,”
always found on the highest and most exposed situations
where there is little cover, consequently great need of har-
monising colours: a strong point, I venture to assert, in
favour of protective utility.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 9

Moulting has been rendered subject to the law of
preservation in a remarkable degree, for where birds
are open to periodical changes of surrounding con-
ditions which materially affect their existence, they are.
provided with an extra moult. For example, the Ptar-
migan’s plumage is pure white for winter snow, and
brown for summer heather.

The stoat’s fur undergoes a similar change of colour ;
and more marvellous still, to pursue the preservation argu-
ment into the water world, take a common trout, and chase
him up and down a shallow pool until he has become
thoroughly scared, and it will be found that wherever he
rests for a few seconds his colour will change in obedience
to that of the bed of the stream directly beneath him; so
much so that I have known one half of a trout very dark
and the other half very light coloured, correspondingly with
objects beneath and around him.

Again, the same high authority points out that “ the
feathers of young birds are in male and female similar to
the female parent when she is of a dull colour, but like the
male when he is dull and the female bright; also, when both
parents are of a conspicuously bright colour the young take
a dull colour of their own ””’—for example, Robins. He infers
that these colours represent those of far distant progenitors ;
but as safety lies in these modified tints, and preservation
being Nature’s chief problem, it is more reasonable to suppose
that Nature lends this means of protection whilst the bird
is in its most helpless condition, for an evolution that tends
to increase dangerously conspicuous colours would only
seem to invite extinction.

In another place he says “ it deserves especial attention
that brilliant colours have been transferred much more

10 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

rarely than other tints.” Yes, simply because they are
generally a source of danger to the possessor.

Three familiar instances of special modifications in the
plumage of the female are to be found in the black grouse,
pheasant, and blackbird, all nidificating in situations more
or less fraught with danger. Remarkable again is the fact
that where the female is more conspicuously marked than the
male the latter takes upon himself the duties of incubation
entirely, or renders a great deal of aid, which is strong proof
that dull subdued colours have been adopted for the preser-
vation of the young in their several stages of helplessness.

Protective Construction of Nests.—It is sur-
prising again to find Darwin, in arguing that few British
birds build covered nests to protect: themselves against
the conspicuousness of their own colours, citing the
Dipper as an instance of this. But what about the white
breast of this bird, which marks it out at long distances
against the dark rock or water? Again, her pure white
eggs are manifestly a source of danger, more conspicuous
even than the bird. It must not be supposed I overlook
another important feature in the covered nest of this bird,
which is, however, subservient to the bird’s desire to hide her
white plumage and eggs, which renders it equally preserva-
tive in character. The bird generally builds near a water-
fall, often quite behind, undoubtedly for the safety this
situation affords, and she is not only obliged to construct a
covered nest, but one which must keep out the constant
dripping of water percolating through fissures in the rock.
The construction of this nest even cuts off the chance of a
stray splash of water finding its way to the eggs or young
during the parent bird’s absence, by the peculiarly ingenious
entrance she makes to her little home.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. Oi

Still further, where birds are conspicuous in colour they
either build covered nests, or place them in such situations
as afford safety, and are thus equivalent. For instance, the
‘Woodpecker, Kingfisher, and Magpie, the two former having
a double object in the selection of a situation, firstly their
own eminently brilliant colours, and secondly their pure white
eggs. The latter building a covered nest of such materials
as thorns, seems to point to a strategic planning against
the immorality of the family to which he belongs,

Periods of Incubation and their Utility.—The
Duck family all lay eggs white, or nearly approaching it,
and take the precaution to cover them carefully on leaving
the nest.

Some naturalists have been of opinion that this is to
prevent an undue escape of the heat generated by the
parent ; however, 1 am unable to find any observations to
prove that these birds leave their eggs for feeding purposes
longer than any others that hatch their young in three
weeks. Neither does it appear that they transmit heat better
or worse than birds of entirely different habits, for it takes
a Fowl four weeks to hatch a Duck’s egg, and a Duck will
on the other hand hatch a Fowl’s in the normal time, three
weeks. It appears that the period of incubation is regulated
with a great amount of precision by the contemplated
habits of life, the difficulties to be overcome, and dangers
to be endured, as the following facts show :-—

A Pigeon hatches its young out in sixteen days, and
by a special process and careful assiduity feeds them until
they are almost full grown. A Fowl, though not capable
of feeding her young in the same way, possesses the power
of defending her offspring, finding and selecting suitable
food, and attending to their education generally in a higher

12 EGGS AND EG@G.COLLECTING.

degree than the Duck can bestow on her progeny, which
take four weeks to hatch.

To still further illustrate this wonderful regulating
principle, let us diverge for a moment from the eggs of
birds to those of fish, where we find things adapted with
incredible precision to the surrounding conditions of exist-
ence. I have noticed that trout living and being obliged
to deposit their ova in a stream subject to great variations
of temperature, spawn much earlier than trout in a stream
preserving a comparatively even temperature. The con-
dition of the latter in comparison with the former showed
unmistakably that the difference of food supply did not
account for it, and as the fry in both streams appeared
about the same time in the spring, and exhibited no
appreciable difference in size or strength during the
summer, the natural conclusion to be arrived at is that
the time required for hatching in each stream is contem-
plated and provided against in some mysterious way.

Mechanical Construction of Eggs.— Wee now come
to another phase of the protective principle, even more re-
markable than those we have already discussed, and equally
useful. This is in the mechanical construction of eggs to
suit their situation and surrounding conditions. What an
admirable provision Nature has shown in placing the axis of
a bird’s egg just where it will prevent it rolling off a flat sur-
face, such as a ledge of rock, when moved by the terrible gusts
of wind that sweep over high latitudes, or perhaps roughly
moved by the parent-bird suddenly fluttering off when scared.

Take, for example, the egg of the Guillemot. This is
so wonderfully constructed that if moved it will not roll
away like a marble or billiard-ball, but simply spins round
on its axis, in the same way as a screw or top, showing

EGGS AND EGG-OOLLECTING 13

a wonderful adaptability to the exposed situation chosen
by this bird for incubation.

Birds which make round, cup-shaped nests. or incubate
in holes, such as the Owl and Kingfisher, for instance,
lay round eggs, which run no risk of rolling away and
being smashed. Their shape also facilitates alteration of
position of the parent-bird to secure an equal distribution
of warmth and ventilation.

Were the Guillemot and either of the latter birds to
change nesting situations for a while, it is probable a
speedy extermination of the species which adopted the flat
rock for the round egg would soon take place, affording a
beautiful illustration of the power that is also guiding the
action of birds under the mysterious name of instinct.
It is an unknown and unknowable power, yet its workings
are as undeniable as its results.

As a further illustration, let us take the eggs of the
Golden and Green Plovers, and consider for a moment
their size, shape, number, and colour.

All these qualities serve some well-defined and demons-
trably useful end. Firstly, their size is abnormally large
compared with that of the layer, but this is a provision
which supplies the necessary size and strength of the
young bird to enable it to cope with the surrounding con-
ditions of its first days of self-feeding and locomotion
amongst coarse grass and other obstacles.

Secondly, the shape of the egg serves to economise space,
an important point where the eggs are large and the bird
small. Thus the four pear-shaped eggs, having their small
ends all pointing to a common centre, practically form a
square, and thus enable the bird to cover them all at the
same time.

14 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

Thirdly, the number of eggs is always four, and by
such limitation the form of the square is preserved,
and the difficulty of a small bird covering a number of
large eggs satisfactorily surmounted. I have often dis-
arranged the order of Plovers’ eggs, but always found that
the first thing done by the bird on her return was to
reduce chaos to order by turning the round ends out and
the small ones into the centre of her little household.

Lastly, we come to the beautiful harmony of colouring
of the eggs with surrounding objects, rendering them often
very difficult to find, even by a practised eye, and the
scant nest still further aiding in the chances against dis-
covery.

The Sandpiper affords an admirable instance of the
assimilation of its eggs to surrounding objects, and the
extreme difficulty experienced in finding them attests to
its protective utility.

Why Eggs Vary so much in Point of Number.—
The number of eggs laid by birds of different orders
seems to be regulated by the danger to which they are
exposed and the amount of food which the parents will be
able to supply.

Thus, the Eagle in its inaccessible eyrie enjoys almost
perfect immunity from danger, and has only two young
ones, for which, however, the supply of food is only equal
to the demand, and it is probable that one more voracious
appetite would seriously endanger the safety of the whole
fathily.

On the other hand, take the Common Partridge with
its sixteen or twenty eggs, the high percentage of its
dangers, and the generally abundant supply of food.

Again, the Swift, on its untiring wings for sixteen

EGGS AND EG@-COLLEOCTING. 15

hours a day, avoids the majority of dangers which threaten
less favoured birds, and only lays two eggs, in a position
very few other birds could adopt, yet one which secures her
little household the amount of safety necessary for the due
survival of the species. However, with her limited family,
dexterity on the wing, and enduring powers, she seems to
have no leisure time during the period her young require
feeding. As an opposite, take the House Sparrow, with
its five or six eggs, innumerable dangers, and easy access
to food, and it must be confessed these things are ordered
by a power of infinite wisdom.

Curious Nesting-Places.—The general situation and
locality in which each bird’s nest is likely to be found
are mentioned in dealing with the bird under its separate
heading ; however, it may not be uninteresting to chronicle
a few of the most remarkable and well-authenticated de-
partures from accepted rules.

I have myself found a Dipper’s nest on the branch of a
tree twelve or thirteen feet from the water and twenty from
the bank. This nest was of ordinary shape and size, its mate-
tial being of the same kind as others, and securely fastened
amongst the prongs of the branch like a Missel Thrush’s,
When the parent bird was disturbed she dived into the pool
below to make her escape (a habit invariably adopted
when nesting in an ordinary position). She reared her
young in safety, however, in spite of the awkward situa-
tion she had selected, and I have every reason to believe
got them off without mishap. I have also found a Thrush’s
nest on the ground, precisely in the position a Lark selects,

House Sparrows furnish many examples of curious
situations adopted for incubatory purposes. Not long
ago a pair of these birds built their nest, and success.

16 EGGS AND EGG-COLLEOTING.

fully hatched a brood, in the cartridge-box of a
cannon which was fired twice daily in the Gun Park at
Woolwich. It is a notable fact that in some parts of the
country Sparrows build extensively in trees, whilst in
others such a circumstance is unknown. Some ornith-
ologists are of opinion that it is an hereditary habit,
others supposing that it is resorted to for the sake of cool-
ness in hot weather; but a reason I incline to is that in
parts of the country where houses and out-buildings are
made of stone the birds find ample accommodation in
joints, crevices, and crannies where the mortar has been dis-
lodged, and are therefore not driven to the necessity of
adopting trees, like birds found in districts where the
houses are made of bricks, consequently closer, and afford-
ing less opportunity for nest-building. This bird, besides
its noted pugnacity, is an arrant rogue, and invariably
takes advantage of the House Martin’s labour. I have
known a house with twenty nests all close together under
its eaves, about half of which were occupied by Sparrows,
which had, in some cases where the nests were new, been
actually watched ejecting the eggs of the original
owners.

The Robin is noted for its caprice in the selection of a
nesting site, and has been found hatching its eggs in
nearly every conceivable situation, from the ordinary mossy
bank to the pocket of a gardener’s old coat which had
been hanging undisturbed for several weeks in a tools
house. Old kettles, water-cans, inverted plant pots, &.,
in buildings close to machinery in daily motion, and other
equally curious places, are by no means rare occurrences.
A case is recorded of a Robin’s nest having been built in
the hole made by a cannon-ball through the mizzen-mast

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 17

against which Lord Nelson was standing when he received
his death-wound on board the Victory.

Swallows have also been known to adopt quite foreign
situations for breeding purposes, such as holes in trees,
and even openly on the branches.

Cases are known of the Starling building its nest
down holes in the earth, and also quite exposed in trees,
similar to the nest of the Sparrow. It has also been
found going shares with a Magpie.

The Pied Wagtail occasionally chooses strange quarters,
one case being on record of a pair building beneath a rail-
way switch, over which trains passed nearly every hour in
the day within a few inches of the nest.

The roof of a house in Hull was once selected by
two pairs of Rooks for nidification, and proved a successful
choice, for they managed to build nests and rear their
young.

The Common Wild Duck is also liable to depart widely
from her usual habit in the selection of a site for her nest,
sometimes adopting a Crow’s nest, and even the tower of
a church, which latter has occasioned much speculation
amongst naturalists as to how the parent bird managed
to convey her progeny safely to water.

The Flycatcher is amongst the foremost of our eccentric
birds in the choice of breeding quarters, its nest having
been found in street lamps in different parts of the country,
and in one instance on the head of a hoe hanging against
the wall of a tool-house. The nest was removed whilst
the hoe was being used, and, when zeplaced, the birds,
instead of deserting it, resumed operations, and eventuality
reared their brood.

Another very interesting curiosity of recent date
B

18 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

occurred in the neighbourhood of Skegness, where a pair
of Marsh Titmice selected a farmer’s letter-box for incuba-
tion purposes, and although it was opened twice daily, and
the materials with which the birds began to build were
several times cleared away, they doggedly persisted in their
efforts, and eventually succeeded in making a nest and
depositing the usual number of eggs.

One of the strangest cases of all, and I should think
the most remarkable on well authenticated record, recently
occurred near Colchester, where a pair of Common Wrens
built their nest inside the skeleton of a hooded crow, which
had been brought to justice and hung up as a warning to
other winged depredators.

These odd positions and situations are evidently not
chosen for purposes of concealment from man, at any rate;
indeed, it is a question whether some of them are not
adopted to secure the advantage his presence affords against
the incursions of predatory birds and animals. And, on
the other hand, if these seeming departures from instinct
be admitted as due to reason, it seems strange that whilst
some birds are capable of this, others exhibit what seems
to human understanding profound stupidity. I have
known birds vainly try to build in positions where it was
impossible for a nest to rest, each piece of material falling
to the ground, until sufficient had been collected for a great
many nests; yet the bird kept on collecting sticks, moss,
and grasses, until probably she was obliged to drop her
eggs in the fields. This is not a solitary instance, nor
only once attempted, for close observation proved that the
same inexplicably vain effort was continued from year to
year, but whether by the same birds or not it is of course
impossible to say

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 19

Some birds show a remarkable love for the same situa-
tion, in which they nest year after year for an incredibla
length of time. The same place is known to have been used
by falcons for about a century and a quarter, and likely to
continue if the birds are not molested. Blue Titmice are
known to have selected the same quarters over a hundred
years in unbroken succession.

On Forming a Collection.—My concluding remarks
will be devoted to the guidance of such as require to make
a collection of eggs.

Keep close watch on the building operations of the
birds whose eggs are required. Dippers, Thrushes, and
many others commence early in the spring, especially after
a mild winter.

Take only one specimen, and not until you have reason
to believe the bird has done laying. Never under any cir-
cumstances take an egg when you have ground to suppose
incubation has commenced, or is in an advanced stage, for
besides the cruelty of the thing, it will often be of no use.

The specimen being secured, it is taken for granted the
collector is furnished with the necessary drill and blow-
pipe, procurable at any naturalist’s shop. The next pro-
ceeding is to drill a small hole exactly on the side of
the egg, selecting that of a spotted one with the least
characteristic marks on it. Then insert the end of the
blow-pipe, or rather direct the current of air sent through
it into the hole made, being careful with small eggs
not to burst them, or squeeze them until they collapse
under the pressure of the fingers. When the contents
have been emptied wash the egg out with clean water,
introduced through the blow-pipe, being careful not to
wet the outside more than necessary, or rub it too

29 EGGS AND EG@GG-COLLECTING.

much, as the beautiful colouring of many eggs is
easily displaced. When the egg has been blown, and
properly dried inside and out, an operation needing some
care, the hole should be covered over with a neat piece of
gummed paper, on which the name of the specimen may be
written, this being found especially useful when eggs of
different kinds get mixed.

A small label should also be attached to the compart-
ment allotted to each egg in the cabinet, bearing the
name, locality in which it was found, and date, as such
memoranda are often very useful, and inculcate habits
of systematic study and storage of information sometimes
impossible to remember. Besides this, a very good plan is
to keep a note-book in which to enter such particulars and
data concerning each specimen as may prove of utility or
interest in the study of oology.

Of course it is impossible to obtain many specimens,
which are seldom or never found in eertain districts, there-
fore it is necessary to buy such eggs, or exchange through
the medium of advertisement, with collectors equally glad
to avail themselves of such an arrangement.

I have no doubt about the pleasure a study of the
subject affords, and if my little book assists to heighten it
in any way I shall be satistied.

R. KEARTON

BIRDS NESTS AND EGGS

THE GOLDFINOH.

HIS beautiful little bird
builds a nest of the first
rank in point of constructive
skill and neatness. Though it
breeds at a surprisingly rapid
rate, it isa regrettable fact to
learn that its numbers are
gradually becoming smaller
in this country, and mainly
through the profit its cap-
ture affords. Despite being
much harassed by the bird-
catching fraternity to supply
the demand for it as a cage
pet, if not actually approving
of confinement, it seems to
prefer the close proximity of
man, often selecting as a
nesting situation gardens and
orchards, and has even been
known to buildin rose-bushes
and other trees trained against

te EGGS ANB EGG-COLLECTING.

a dwelling-house. The nest is composed of moss, a little
hay and wool, lined with seed-down of the willow and
hair neatly woven together. The eggs are four or five in
number ; white, tinged with blue, and spotted at the larger
end with raw sienna.

THE MAGPIE.

TuE Magpie builds her nest on the tops of very tall trees,
but it has sometimes been found in comparatively small
bushes. It is large, domed, and almost spherical in
shape, composed of brambles, thorny sticks, clay, and finer
sticks, and lined inside with dead grass and fibrous roots;
it has a hole on the side. She lays six or seven eggs of a
dirty light blue, spotted with yellowish-brown all over.

THE BULLFINCH.

Tus bird lays four or five eggs of a pale blue colour,
spotted and streaked with raw sienna, brown, or purple.
The nest is made of twigs and fibrous roots, and lined with
horsehair ; it is situated in thick garden and other hedges.
The female sits very close, so that she may even be touched
without leaving the nest.

THE STARLING,
Tux Starling makes her nest of hay, straw, and fibrous
roots ; her favourite haunts are the gable-ends of old houses,
cliffs, and hollow trees. She lays four or five eggs of a
beautiful light blue, tinged with green. If she is left un-
disturbed, she will use the same nest for several years, with
a little repairing each spring. She is very affectionate to

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 23

her young, and works in hearty co-operation with her mate
to procure them food, which is an enormous quantity in the
course of a day.

THE CHAFFINCH.

Tue Chaffinch generally builds her nest in the forks of
trees covered with lichens; it is made of moss, wool, and
lichen, the inside being lined with hair and feathers. She
makes a beautiful nest, small but deep, and it harmonizes
so much with its situation that it is often difficult to find.
She lays four or five eggs of a grayish-blue, spotted and
streaked with a dirty purple-red. She sits very close, in
fact I once knew a bird remain on her nest till a mis-
chievous boy caught her by the tail, pulling it out as she
rose to fly; and she returned and reared her young after
that.

THE RAVEN.

THE Raven lays five or six eggs of a gray-green ground
colour, spotted and blotched with a darker greenish or
smoky brown. She builds her nest in high, inaccessible
rocks and cliffs, either on the sea-shore or inland, and it is
sometimes found on the tops of lofty trees. It is composed
of sticks of various sizes and kinds, wool, and hair.

THE LINNET.

Tuis little bird lays from four to six eggs of a whitish faint
blue tinge, speckled with purple-red, and her nest is com-
posed of moss, bent fibrous roots, and wool, lined inside
with hair and feathers. She builds in whitethorn, black-
thorn, and furze bushes; very rarely in trees.

EGGS AND EGG@-COLLECTING. 25

THE HOUSE SPARROW,

Tuts familiar little bird builds her nest in the walls of old
stone houses, at the back of spouting, and amongst ivy.
It is particularly fond of ejecting the Martin from her
carefully-built home, and has been even known to turn
out the eggs of this little harmless bird. She lays five or
six eggs, of adirty white, covered with black or dark
brown spots.

THE JACKDAW.

Tue Jackdaw builds her nest in towers of churches, the
ruins of old castles and abbeys, rocks, hollow trees, and
chalk pits. It is made of sticks, straw, and hay, with an
inner lining of large feathers, hair, and wool. The eggs,
numbering from three to six, are a pale green-blue, spotted
with dingy brown; the spots are confluent at the larger
or thicker end.

THE COMMON GROUSE.

Tu Grouse lays on an average about nine eggs; as many as
fifteen have been found, but this number has been by some
attributed to two birds, as they will sometimes build (if we
may term it such) within a yard of each other. Their nests
merely consist of a little hollow scratched out, and lined
with heather or bent. The eggs are of a dirty white colour,
covered with umber-brown spots. Both the old birds are
very cunning in trying to decoy the intruder away from
the whereabouts of the nest, feigning lameness or injury.

THE KESTREL.

Tux Kestrel lays four to seven eggs of a dirty white, some-
times with a bluish tinge, thickly covered with reddish-

26 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

brown blotches. She generally makes no nest at all,
but scratches a hollow in the soft earth on a ledge of rock
situated on high mountain or sea cliffs. The deserted nest
of the crow is sometimes utilised.

THE ROBIN.
Tuts beautiful little bird, the favourite of English children,
builds her nest in walls and banks, where roots and moss
abound. It is composed of moss, fibrous roots, and leaves,
and is sometimes lined with hair. She lays five or six
eggs of a very light gray, spotted with a dull light red;
sometimes these spots are very few.

THE REDPOLL.

Tur eggs of this bird are four or five in number, of a very
pale blue-green colour, spotted about the larger end with
orange-red. The eggs retain much of their pretty colour
after being blown, they are of such a beautiful blue. She
makes her nest of hay and moss, lined inside with willow-
down, and finishes it off in the most beautiful manner.
She builds her nest in willows, alders, and other bushes
that fringe streams and ponds in mountainous districts.

THE RINGDOVE.
Taz Ringdove makes a very loose, slovenly nest of twigs
and sticks, and it is sometimes so badly built that the eggs
may be seen through the bottom of the nest. She builds
in fir, yew, or other trees, sometimes in ivy that grows
upon rocks and trees, very near the ground. She lays two
white eggs of a rounded oval shape.

a

o)

EGGS:

x. Golden-crested Wren. 2. Whitethroat. 3. Siskin. 4. Thrush. 5. Greenfinch,
6. Redstart? 7. Great Tit. 8. Teal. 9. Blackbird.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING, 27

THE WRYNECK.

Tus eggs of this bird are from five to eight in number, of
a pure white. She makes her nest in holes in the trunks
of trees. It is made of dry, rotten wood, which is ground
down to a kind of powder, and it has been found lined
with moss and feathers.

THE GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN.

Tuis little bird, like the others of its tribe, lays a consider-
able number of eggs for its small size. They are eight or
nine in number, thickly spotted with reddish-brown, these
spots being confluent at the larger end. The underground
colour is a faint fleshy tint. Her nest is made of moss
and lichens, and is lined with willow-down and feathers.
The outside of the nest generally harmonises with ite
situation, which is amongst the branches of a tree,
generally of the fir, from a branch of which the nest is
usually suspended.

THE WHITETHROAT.
Tur Whitethroat lays four or five eggs of a greenish-
white colour, spotted with brown and gray, the spots
sometimes form a zone or belt round the larger end.
Her nest is made of dead grass and a little hai,
loosely attached, the nest being carelessly made. It is

situated in low thick herbage, or amongst nettles, or other
ground weeds.

THE SISKIN.
Tus bird lays four or five eggs of a bluish ground colour,
some being spotted all over with cloudy rusty spots, others
with these spots well defined about the larger end. Her

28 EGGS AND EGG@-COLLECTING.

nest is made of green moss, small twigs, dried grass, and
sometimes lined with feathers and rabbits’-down. The
nest is rarely found in Britain; its usual situation is
amongst furze-bushes.

THE THRUSH.

Tue Thrush builds her nest in hedges, banks, against the
trunks of trees, in stone walls, and is fond of ivy against
trees or rocks. Her nest is made of grass and moss, the
interior being lined with clay or cow-dung, in which are
sometimes found pieces of decayed wood. She lays from
four to six eggs, of a beautiful blue spotted with black,
most of the spots being on the thick end of the egg.

THE GREENFINOH.

Tus bird lays four or five eggs, which are white tinged
with blue, and speckled at the larger end with light orange-
brown. Her nest is situated in thick hedges, ivy, holly,
and other evergreens. It is composed of moss and wool,
and is lined with hair and feathers. The nests of these
birds have been found so close that the material of two
was interwoven together.

THE REDSTART,
Tue nest of this bird is made of moss lined with hair and
feathers. It is situated in holes in rocks, walls, trees,
stables, and barns; and the bird has been known to build
in a plant pot with the bottom upwards, entering through
the hole. She lays from five to seven eggs, of a pale
bluish-green, unspotted.

e

EGGS,

1. Nuthatch. 2. Sea Gull. 3. Woodpecker. 4. Kingfisher. 5. Moorhen.
6. Nightingale. 7. Lapwing. 8. Barn Owl. 9g. Crossbill.

EGGS AND EGG-OOLLECTING. 29

THE BLACKBIRD.

Tur Blackbird builds her nest in stone walls, holly bushes,
hedges, and amongst ivy. It is made with small twigs,
roots, and cow-dung or clay intermixed, and lined inside
with very fine slender grass. She has been known to try
to build on the side of a cliff, where the sticks, &c., would
not remain, but have fallen down until there was enough
to make half-a-dozen nests, yet the bird continued to bring
fresh material. She lays four, five, and rarely six eggs of a
dull bluish-green, spotted all over with brown blotches.

THE GREAT TIT.
Tur eggs of this bird are from six to twelve in number ;
their colour is white, spotted with a reddish-brown. The
nest is composed of moss, feathers, and hair, and is situated
in holes in walls and trees. The bird has been known to
make these holes herself in the trunk of a tree, working
with great diligence and rapidity until she had finished.

THE TEAL.

Tux Teal builds its nest where rushes are abundant, chiefly
on marshes in Scotland and the north of England. The
nest is composed of large quantities of dried sedges, flags,
and other water plants, and is lined with feathers. The
bird lays eight or ten eggs, which are buffish or creamy-
white, sometimes faintly tinged with green.

THE NUTHATCH.
Tas bird lays from five to seven eggs in number, of a
pure white spotted with red-brown. ‘They are very often
mistaken for the eggs of the Great Titmouse. The nest

30 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

is made of the dried leaves of the oak, apple, elm, &c.,
carelessly arranged. It is situated in a hole of a decaying
tree, and if too large at the entrance the bird plasters it up
until she can just get in and out comfortably.

THE COMMON SEA-GULL,

Tuts bird lays two, and sometimes three eggs, of a pale
green or a yellowish-white colour, irregularly blotched
with gray and blackish-brown. Her nest is made of sea-
weed, dry grass, &c., and is found on sea cliffs and bold
rocky headlands, such as St. Abb’s Head in Berwickshire.

THE GREEN WOODPEOKER.

Tug eggs of this bird are three or four in number, of a
very light bluish-tinged white colour. Her nest is made
entirely of the pieces of wood chipped off by the bird in
her boring operations. It is placed in the trunk of a tree,
frequently in a hole which the bird herself has previously
excavated, and perhaps used before. She seems to have
a particular liking for the aspen and black poplar tree.

THE KINGFISHER,

Tuis bird lays six or seven eggs, nearly round, white and
shining. When fresh and unblown, the yolk shows through
the shell, and gives it a beautiful pink colour, something
similar to the Dipper’s, but more clear and vivid. The
nest is composed of the bones of fishes, and is generally
in the Sandmartin’s previous excavations, about three or
four feet above the usual surface of the water.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING, 31

THE MOORHEN.

Tux eggs of this familiar and semi-domestic bird are from
eight to ten in number, of a pale brownish-grey, spotted
with umber-brown. This bird, like the duck, when leaving
the nest covers her eggs with flags and reeds, of which also
the nest is made. She builds among the sedges on the
banks of streams and ponds, and sometimes in trees.
Nests have often been found in willow-branches which
touch and float upon the water.

THE NIGHTINGALE.

Tue eggs of this bird are from four to six in number, and
are usually of a yellowish olive-brown colour, unspotted,
but are occasionally found blue. Her nest is made of dried
leaves, lined inside with fine grass. It is situated on the
ground in woods and shrubberies, especially on the little
banks at the foot of trees, under the shelter of ferns or
weeds,

THE LAPWING.

Tur Lapwing, or Green Plover, makes a very simple nest,
only scratching a hole and lining it with bent or short
grass, She generally makes it on a little knoll, so that it
may be out of danger of being deluged, as her home is
generally in swampy marshy land. She lays four eggs of a
dirty-green ground, blotched all over with dark brown
spots, and the colour harmonises so well with the ground,
that it is sometimes very difficult for the collector to see
them even when looking close to where they are.

THE BARN OWL,

Tux Barn Owl lays two eggs at a time, that is, lays two
and hatches them, and lays again, even to a second and

82 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

third time, before the first have flown. They are white
and unspotted. She makes a very slight nest of sticks,
hay, and sometimes of her own cast-off feathers. She
select barns, old ruins, hollow trees, and crevices of rocks,
overshadowed by ivy or creeping plants.

THE OROSSBILL.

Yurs bird lays four or five eggs of a white colour, tinged
with pale blue, resembling the colour of skim-milk, and
speckled with red, but only very sparingly. Her nest is
made of twigs, grass, and sometimes lined with a few
long hairs. She builds mostly among the branches of
the Scotch fir, the nest boing generally close to the boll

or stem.

THE WOODLARK.

Unik its congener, the Skylark, this bird is limited
to certain localities in our islands. Whilst it is fairly
abundant in some districts, it is seldom or never seen in
others. It is highly esteemed as a song-bird, and conse-
quently suffers at the hands of professional bird-catchers,
especially as its young begin to carol at an early period of
their existence. Its nest is situated on the ground, usually
well concealed beneath a tuft of grass or low plant, and
is composed of grass, bents, moss, and hairs, the coarser
material used on the outside and the finer to line the
interior. The eggs are four or five in number, of a lighter
ground colour than the Skylark’s eggs, thickly speckled
with reddish-brown, the spots sometimes, but rarely,
forming a zone at the larger end.

in

EGGS.

1. Woodlark. 2. Nightjar, 3. Stormy Petrel. 4. Stonechat. 5. Capercailzie.
6. Bittern. 7. Merlin, 8. Little Grebe. 9, Wheatear

w

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 33

THE MERLIN.

Lixz some other of the Hawks, the Merlin does not take
much trouble in the construction of her nest, simply
selecting a little hollow, usually well hidden by heather,
in moorland districts, lining it with dead ling and a little
grass. The eggs number from three to six,according to
some authorities; but I have usually found four on the
North Riding moors, brown in colour, thickly covered with
spots, blotches, and marblings of a reddish hue, especially
at the larger end.

THE BITTERN.

Tux ground is chosen as the situation of this bird’s nest,
well hidden amongst the dense growth of reeds and flags,
in close proximity to the water it haunts. It is composed
of a plenteous supply of sticks, reeds, flag-leaves, &c.
The eggs are found in numbers of from three to five, and
have been described as of a pale clay-brown, stone colour,
and olive brown, all of which are as near the mark asa
verbal description ean come.

THE NIGHTJAR.

Tuts bird cannot really be said to make a nest of any kind,
simply selecting some natural depression in the earth,
beneath the shelter of a furze-bush or common bracken.
She lays two eggs, which are grey, beautifully spotted, and
marbled or veined with dark brown and tints of a bluish-
lead colour, glossy. The female sits so closely, and har.
monises so well with her surroundings, that, unless one
happens to detect her beautiful large eye, the chances are
very much against finding her nest.

c

Bt EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

THE STORM PETREL.

Tue Scilly Islands, St. Kilda, the Orkneys, Shetland, and
the Irish coast, are the breeding haunts of the Storm
Petrel. The nest is placed on the ground, amongst cliffs
and under large-sized stones, being composed of pieces of
dry earth and stalks of plants. One single white egg,
about the size of a Blackbird’s, is laid.

THE STONECHAT.

Tus pert little bird'is very dexterous in the art of nest-
building, selecting for materials moss and dry grasses
to form the outer structure, and feathers, hair, &c., for
lining the interior. The position selected is generally on
the ground, at the bottom of a furze-bush, though some-
times quite away from any bush. The eggs number five
or six, and are of a pale blue-green, with minute reddish-
brown spots, chiefly at the larger end.

THE WHEATEAR.

A SHELTERED and darkened situation is generally chosen by
the Wheatear wherein to build her nest—chinks of stone
walls, the ruins of cairns, in old rabbit-burrows, under
stones on moors, mountain wilds, &. The nest, not very
artistic in construction, is composed of a variety of materials,
such as bents, grass roots pulled up by the sheep when
grazing, and dried in the sun, hair and wool gathered from
brambles, corners of rocks, and walls against which the
sheep have rubbed themselves. The eggs number five or
six, and are of a pale greenish-blue colour unspotted.

BGGS.

1. Pied Flycatcher. 2. Meadow Pipit. 3. Tree Pipit. 4. Dunlin. 5. Landrail.
6. Skua. 7. Wigeon. 8. Golden Plover, 9. Skylark. '

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING, 35

THE LITTLE GREBE.

An immense mass of aquatic weeds floating on the surface
of a quiet pond, and thoroughly saturated with water, forms
the nest of this bird. She lays from five to six eggs, at
first white, but gradually becoming dyed a dirty mud
colour by the decaying weeds with which the parent bird
eovers them on leaving her nest to seek food, &c.

THE CAPERCAILZIE.

Tuis bird’s nest is situated on the ground, and is composed
of a few sticks and ling stalks. The eggs number from
six to twelve, and are of a pale reddish-yellow brown,
spotted all over with two shades of darker orange-brown,
somewhat like those of the Black Grouse.

THE MEADOW PIPIT.

Tue nest of this common little bird is built of bents, with
an inner lining of grass and hairs. It is situated on the
ground, and generally in such a position that protection
from the rain, sheep’s feet, &c., is afforded by a stout tuft
of bents, a projecting piece of earth or stone. Its where-
abouts is, however, generally betrayed by the parent bird’s
peculiar flight when disturbed, even in the earliest stages
of incubation. In the course of a day’s travel on the
moors I have met with several nests, some of them remark-
ably close to each other. The eggs number from four to
six; and in spite of the fact that some eminent authorities
have said that they are of a reddish-brown, mottled over
with darker brown, varying but little, I should describe
them as varying from light to very dark dusky brown. I

36 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

should conclude, from long observation, that more Cuckoos
are bred and reared by this bird than all the other foster-
parents put together; and it is remarkable what affection
it shows for the adopted nursling. Not long ago I had the
misfortune to shoot a young Cuckoo during the dusk of
evening in mistake for a Hawk, and was struck with pity
on seeing the poor Meadow Pipit light on the dead body of
the unfortunate victim, and try to drag it away as I ap-
proached. So
THE PIED FLYCATCHER.

Tuts bird seems to resort annually to the same locality,
and use the same nest year after year, which is com-
posed of moss, grass, bents, feathers, hair, &c., and is
situated in holes in pollard-trees and walls. She lays four
or five eggs, of a pale blue, which might not erroneously
be described as greenish-blue, unspotted.

THE TREE PIPIT.
Tux Tree Pipit’s nest is always on the ground, beneath the
shelter of a tuft of grass or low bush, and is made of
fibrous roots, moss, and wool, lined with fine grass and
hair. The eggs number from four to six, and are so
variable in colour that verbal description is almost: baffled
in attempting to convey an impression of what they are
like. Some are purple-red, thickly sprinkled with spots of
a deeper shade; others of a yellowish-white, spotted and
sprinkled all over with greyish-brown, like a Sparrow’s
egg. pe es
THE DUNLIN.

Tue nesting-place of the Dunlin is on the sea-beach,
among the shingle, heather, or long grass at the mouth of

EGGS AND EGG@-COLLECTING. 37

rivers, on moors and fells in the North of England,
Wales, Ireland, Scotland, the Orkney Islands, and the
Hebrides. The nest is composed of a meagre supply ¢,
bents and straws, and the eggs number four, elegantly
shaped and beautifully coloured, though very variable in
ground colour, sometimes of a bluish-white, blotched all
over with umber-brown, whilst others are of a clear light
green, richly spotted with light brown. The hen sits
closely,

THE SKYLARK.

Tus familiar songster’s nest is placed on the ground,
amongst corn or rough tufty grass, and its whereabouts is
generally betrayed by the peculiar scudding flight of the
hen when disturbed. The nest is built of bents and dry
grass, those of the most slender texture being placed inside.
The eggs number four or five (I have never found more),
the colouring of which is subject to variation, and not of
the easiest kind to convey in a written description. How-
ever, the following may be taken as representative :—A
dirty white ground colour slightly tinged with green,
spotted and mottled with umber brown, generally more
thickly towards the larger end.

THE GOLDEN PLOVER.

Tux favourite nesting-place of the Golden Plover is on the
dreary mountain wilds of the North of England, Scotland,
and Ireland. She selects a slight natural depression in the
earth, and scrapes together bits of dead grass, rushes, and
heather for a nest, in which four eggs are deposited, with
the sharp points all meeting in the centre. The ground

38 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

colour of the eggs is stone or cream, spotted and blotched
with umber or blackish-brown, of various sizes and shapes,

THE LANDRAIL.

Tux position selected by the Landrail for her nest is on the
ground, amongst grass, underwood, clover, or corn. It is
loosely constructed of dry herbage. Her eggs vary greatly
in number, from seven, eight, or nine to as many as fifteen,
and are of a dingy white, suffused with a reddish tinge,
freckled and spotted with red, brown, and purplish-grey. '

THE WIGEON.

Tuts bird has been known to breed in Scotland and Ire-
land, but its favourite places are Scandinavia, Finland, and
Northern Russia. The nest is placed in a clump of rushes
or a tuft of heather, its materials being reeds and decayed
rushes, with a beautiful inner lining of down off the parent
bird, which lays from seven to ten creamy-white eggs, of
a very oval shape. Broods have been hatched at different
times in the Zoological Gardens.

THE COMMON SKUA.

Nepirication is carried on by the Skua in companies, in
the Shetland Islands only. The nest is placed on the
ground, and,is made of dead ling, moss, and dry grass, in
which are deposited two eggs only, of varying colour. Some
are of a dark olive brown, whilst others are of a greener
tint, with black-brown spots, intermixed with small speckles
of a whitish or rusty colour.

oe 1:
|
| 3
|
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
| 7
;
|
|
6
|
|
|
| 9
|
8

| EGGS,

1. Sand Martin. 2. Little Stint. 3. Long-eared Owl. 4. Kite. 5. Lesser White-throat,
6. Redwing. 7. Shieldrake. 8. Sandpiper. 9. Redshank.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 39

THE KITE.
Tuts bird locates its nest in a strong fork of some tall tree,
building it with sticks and whatever softer material she
can come at without much trouble, such as wool, &c. The
eggs number three, and are of a grey or dirty white,
spotted and blotched with dull red or orange-brown, the
spots predominating at the larger end.

THE RED-SHANK.
Tus nest of the Red-shank is situated amidst a tuft of grass,
or in a small hole sheltered by the surrounding herbage, and
is constructed of a few blades of fine dry grass lightly put
‘together. She lays four eggs of a cream or straw colour,
blotched and speckled with dark brown, the spots being
very variable, but generally forming a belt or zone at the
larger end. ———
THE SAND-MARTIN.
As denoted by the name, the nesting-place of the Sand-
martin is at the extremity of a deep hole, which the bird
excavates for herself in some sandbank, generally near a
river. The nest is constructed of straw, hay, or dead
rushes, whichever may be found in the locality where the
bird is breeding, and lined with feathers. The eggs are
from four to six in number, of an elongated shape, the
extreme thinness of the shell giving them a pinky appear-
ance, but when blown they are a beautiful white.

THE LITTLE STINT.
Tus bird does not breed in the British Isles, but in
Northern Europe and Asia. The nest is situated on the
ground, and is very similar in construction to that of most

40 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

of the Sandpiper species, being a natural depression in the
ground, with a lining of dead leaves, or other such material
as may be procured within easy reach of the place chosen.
The eggs are four in number, of varying ground colour,
from pale brown to pale greenish-grey, spotted and blotched
with rich brown, the spots generally confluent at the
larger end ; but the colour is probably subject to as many
variations as the Dunlin’s eggs, already described.

THE LONG-EARED OWL.

Lixt the Hawk tribe generally, this bird manifests an un-
mistakable dislike for maternal labour, as she contents
herself with the old nest of a Crow, Magpie, or the
abandoned home of a Squirrel. Some collectors give the
number of eggs as from three to seven; but four or five
is the general rule, and numbers above the last figure
quoted the exception. The eggs are white, and almost as
blunt at one end as the other.

THE SHIELDRAKE.

Tux labours of the Rabbit are utilised by the Shieldrake,
and almost indispensable to her for incubation purposes,
as she deposits dried flags, bents, reeds, and a liberal
quantity of down, plucked from her own body, at the bottom
of a deep burrow, after having enlarged and improved it to
suit her purpose. She lays from eight even to twice that
number of eggs, of a very smooth, roundish, oblong shape.
They are cream colour, or nearly white in colour.

THE REDWING.
Tus bird very rarely builds in the British Isles, but
pbundantly in Norway, Sweden. and other high latitudes

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTINY. 41

visited by it during the summer. Its nest is very similar
to that of the ordinary Ring Ouzel or Blackbird, and is
located in the middle of a dense bush. The eggs number
frorm four to six, and are somewhat like those of the Field-
fare, only not so large. It would take a very clever con-
noisseur to pick out the egg of the Blackbird, Ring Ouzel,
Fieldfare, and Redwing from some specimens without
making a mistake, so much alike are they in colour, size,
and shape.

THE SANDPIPER.

On the oanks of a river, lake, or tarn, this familiar little
bird locates its nest, generally choosing some natural de-
pression, where it will be protected by a projecting grass
tuft, though I have found its nest on the bare ground, and
once on a tiny piece of grass amongst a lot of rocks. The
nest is lined with dead rushes, leaves, and fine grass. The
eggs number four, of a creamy yellow or stone colour, with
light brown spots and blotches, as it were, in the shell,
and dark brown on the surface.

THE LESSER WHITE-THROAT.

THE situation chosen by the Lesser Whitethroat for its
nest is amongst brambles, low bushes, and nettles, build-
ing it of grass, bents, and an inner lining of horsehairs.
The eggs number four or five, and are white, with a greenish
tendency, spotted, chiefly at the larger end, with ash and
light umber brown.

THE RUFF.

Tas bird, like the Snipe and Red-shank, makes her nest in
wet, swampy places, using only the coarse grass found on

42 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

the spot. Like its congeners, it only lays four eggs, very
similar in ground colour and marking tc the two birds
quoted above, varying from stone-colour to olive-green,
blotched and speckled with rich brown and liver-coloured
spots.

THE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE.

Tue high, inaccessible cliffs of Scotland and Ireland are
the places where this noble bird propagates its race. Sticks,
heather, grass, and wool are the nesting materials used.
The eggs are two in number, usually of an unspotted
white as representative, but sometimes slightly marked
with pale red—this, however, being the exception.

THE GREY PHALAROPE.

Tue breeding haunts of this bird seem to be as far north
as it can possibly carry out incubation successfully ; Green-
land, Northern Siberia, and Melville Island being chosen.
A natural depression in the peat earth serves as a nest, in
which four eggs are usually laid, of a stony colour, tinged
with olive-green, speckled and spotted (especially at the
larger end) with dark brown.

THE SHOVELLER.

Tuts duck breeds in Norfolk, the Fen districts, and Scot-
land, once numerously, but now more rarely. The nest is
made in marshes as far removed from human intrusion as
possible, and is constructed of sedges, reeds, &c.; and as
the time of hatching approaches, the eggs are covered with
down from the bird’s own body. They number from eight
to twelve, and are white, tinged with green.

3
EGGS.

1. Tawny Owl. 2. Grey Phalarope 3. Golden Eagle. 4. White-tailed Eagle.
5. Eider Duck, 6. Herring Gull. 7. Shoveller. 8. Ruff. 9. Grasshopper Warbler.

EGGS AND EGG.COLLECTING 43

THE GRASSHOPPER WARBLER.
Tue nest of this shy little summer visitor is usually well
concealed near the ground, in the middle of a thick bush.
It is constructed of strong dry grass and moss outside,
with an inner lining of slender grass. The eggs number
from four to seven, and are of a pale rosy-coloured white,
with spots and speckles all over of a darker-shaded red.

THE GOLDEN EAGLE.

Tue mate of this king of birds builds her nest in the most
desolate and unapproachable parts of Scotland and Ireland,
where even the skilful and daring cragsman can with diffi-
culty come. The eyrie is made of sticks, a supply being
added each year until an enormous pile is collected, almost
flat at the top. The eggs number from two to three, and
are of a grey or dingy-white colour, clouded and blotched
nearly all over with rusty or reddish-brown spots.

THE EIDER DUCK.

Tus useful member of the Duck family breeds on
the Scottish coast and at the Farne Islands, and on
the shores of Norway and Sweden, in great numbers. The
nest is made of dried grasses, weeds, &c. ; and as the pro-
cess of incubation advances, like the Shoveller, the mother
lines the nest profusely with the beautiful down from ita
body. The eggs usually number five, and are of a light
green colour, oblong in shape.

THE TAWNY OWL.

A HOLLOW in a tree, or the deserted nest of a Crow, serves
this nocturnal bird for a nest. The eggs are of an

44 EGGS AND EG@G.COLLECTING.

elliptical shape, numbering from three to five, and are
quite white.

THE HERRING GULL:
Sa cliffs and rocky islands round the coasts of England,
Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, are the nesting-places of this
bird, the materials used being dried grass and ferns, loosely
put together. The eggs are three in number, of a stone
colour, sometimes light olive-brown—but this rarely—
spotted with dark brown.

THE CARRION CROW.

Tus bold predatory bird is like the Raven, monogamous,
and sticks to its mate for life. They use the same nest
often year after year, driving their young forth as soon
as they are capable of looking after themselves. On an
average four or five eggs are laid, of a grey-green colour,
blotched and spotted with a smoky brown. In some
instances, like those of the Rook, they are found quite
blue, minus spots. The nest is situated at the tops of
trees in woods or plantations, and is composed of sticks
like those of most birds, using the larger for the outside,
the smaller for the inside, which is plastered with mud,
clay, or cow-dung, lined with wool, horse and cow hair.

THE SWALLOW.

I wave observed that the Swallow’s favourite nesting-
place is amongst the rafters of cow-barns, stables, and
out-houses of a similar nature. Nests may be found

EGGS.

1. Carrion Crow. 2. Swallow. 3. Sparrow-Hawk. 4. Blue Tit. 5. Blackcap.

6. Partridge. 7. Wild Duck. 8. Cuckoo, 9g. Pheasant.

0

EGGS AND £GG-COLLECTING. 45

even in old chimneys, but it is my opinion that they only
locate themselves in such a smoky atmosphere when no
better place is procurable; they have also been found
amongst the brickwork of disused limekilns. The nest is
composed of clay or mud mixed with straw, hay, and rushes,
lined with soft light feathers, usually gathered whilst the
bird is on the wing. When a boy, I have amused myself
for hours flying feathers for the dexterous Swallows and
Martins to carry off to their nests, and have always
observed that if the Swallow let a feather fall from her
nest whilst building it, and did not catch it before
reaching the ground, she allowed it to remain there, often
to betray the locality of her eggs. The Swallow does
not exhibit the same amount of care over the formation
of her nest as the Common Martin or Sand Martin, and
leaves it open at the top. She lays four or five eggs,
white, which are unlike those of the other species of the
family, inasmuch as they are speckled with brown, which
generally forms a belt round the larger end of the egg.

THE SPARROW-HAWE.

Tus Sparrow-Hawk lays from four to six eggs of a bluish-
white, spotted more numerously at the larger end with
red-brown blotches. It is said to often utilise the disused
nest of the Magpie or Crow, but I am inclined to the
opinion that this is not often the case, as the half-score
or so of nests which have come under my personal obser-
vation have in every instance been built by the Sparrow-
hawk herself.

46 BGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

THE BLUE TIT.
Buus Tits lay from seven to nine eggs, of a white under-
ground, spotted with red-brown all over, but more nume-
rously at the larger end. Their nests are composed of
moss, feathers, and hair, and will generally be found in
holes in trees or walls.

THE BLACKOCAP.

Tue Blackcap locates her nest amongst nettles and brambles,
generally near the ground, but not resting upon it. It is
a very slovenly bird, as far as the structure of its nest goes,
which is composed of fibrous roots and the stems of cleavers,
It lays four or five eggs of a whitish underground, blotched
and spotted, with two shades of brown or paledelicate pink,
with dark red spots and blotches.

THE PARTRIDGE.

from ten to twenty eggs are laid by the Partridge, of «
pale yellow-brown, without any spots. There has been
some diversity of opinion as to the time of hatching, some
holding that the third week of June is the time, whilst
others say the middle of the following month; but I
think that the locality in which the bird is found has
something to do with this difference of time. She does
not make any nest worth speaking about, merely scratch-
ing and trampling the grass, weeds, &c., down. Her nest
is situated on the ground in standing grass, cornfields,
among brackens, weeds, &c., mostly in arable districts

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 47

She sits very closely, indeed so closely that I have known
her head cut clean off as she sat on her nest in a field of
grass which was being mown.

THE WILD DUCK.

Tue nest of the Wild Duck is composed of grass, inter-
mixed and lined with down, and is generally situated on
the ground near the margin of rivers or lakes, to enable
the mother to lead her progeny to the water immediately
they are hatched. However, there are numerous exceptions
to the usual site of her nest, as it is occasionally found
occupying deserted Crows’ nests, or built on pollard
willows, and has even been found in such an exceptionally
odd situation as a church tower, from whence she managed
to convey her young in safety. These elevated nesting-
places have given rise to much variance of opinion amongst
naturalists as to how the parent bird carries her progeny
to the water; some contending that she conveys them
in her feet, others, in her beak, &c.

This habit of the bird, however, is quite familiar to the
Laplanders, who prepare wooden cylinders, which they stop
at each end, leaving a hole in the side, and elevate on poles,
to entice the duck, which does not hesitate to avail itself
of such convenient accommodation; thus the wily Lap.
tander is enriched with a good store of eggs for breakfast
The Hawk-Owl often takes a fancy to the situation, and
appropriates it for nidification purposes, paying dearly for
his intrusion when the owner of the cylinder comes round
to collect his dues.

The eggs of the Wild Duck number from éight to
fifteen, of a greenish-white colour, smooth on the surface,

48 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

THE CUCKOO.

Tue Cuckoo seems to think he was born to do nothing
else but tell and re-tell
“¢ His name to all the hills;”

for he neither makes a nest nor troubles to rear his young,
but leaves them to the tender mercies of unpaid nurses,
being partial to the Wagtail, Hedge-sparrow, and Meadow
Pipit, who are so affectionate that they have been known
to follow and feed the young Cuckoo in a cage. Only one
egg is found in a nest, which is of a reddish-grey, with a
darker belt formed of numerous confluent spots at the
thick end of the egg, but they are very variable.

THE PHEASANT.

Purasants lay from eight to thirteen eggs of a pale olive-
green or brown, without spots. Their nests are composed
chiefly of the dried grass where it is situated, which is on
the ground amongst weeds, coarse grass, or scrub, in the
outskirts of woods. It has, however, been found occupying
a Squirrel’s drey in a Scotch fir, where she hatched her
young, but did not rear them, as from some cause or other
they died in the nest. This bird is polygamous.

THE PIED WAGTAIL.

Tne nest of this bird is situated in holes in stone walls,
bridges, crevices of rocks, quarries, &. I remember on

8
EGGS:

1. Pied Wagtail. 2. Heron. 3. Woodcock. 4. Swift. 5. Black-heaced Gull.
6. Snipe. 7. Chiff-Chaff. 8. Martin. 9. Hedge Sparrow.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 49

one occasion finding one in the stump of a rotten tree
which had broken off about eleven feet from the ground ;
they are also found in pollard willows. The nest is chiefly
composed of moss, small fine grass, fibrous roots, wool,
horse and cow-hair. The eggs number from four to six,
and are of a grey colour, speckled with light umber-brown.

THE HERON.

Tur Heron lays four or five eggs of a pale blue, with a
tinge of green. Her nest is composed of a very liberal
collection of sticks, and is lined in the interior with wool,
and occasionally rags. It is situated on the tops of high
trees. Like the Rooks, Herons build in societies, which
are called heronries.

THE WOODCOCK.

Tae Woodcock lays four eggs of a yellow-white colour,
blotched with pale chestnut-brown. Her nest is generally
found amongst the underwood at the foot of a tree, where
she does not appear to try to avoid its being seen, but
scratches a slight hollow, lining it with dead leaves and
the withered fronds of the bracken. Although the great
bulk of these birds are migrants, it is now proved beyond
doubt that many are bred yearly in this country.¢ Like
the Partridge, Grouse, &c., the young leave the nest as
soon as hatched, and are most carefully looked after by the
parent bird.

D

60 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING

THE SWIFT.

Tux Swift is the garret-lodger of nature, for she builds
her nest in the very highest crevices and holes in steeples,
towers, chimneys, rocks, and occasionally, like the Martin,
under the eaves of inhabited houses. Her nest is com-
posed of hay, straw, and feathers, in somewhat sparse
quantities, which she appears to solder or cement to the
stone and to each other with a glutinous substance elabo-
rated by glands peculiar to certain birds of this genus.
She lays two or three white unspotted eggs of a rather
long oval shape.

THE BLACK-HEADED GULL.

Tuts bird generally lays three eggs, four being occa-
sionally found, of a pale olive-green or pale umber-brown,
blotched with black-brown or dark grey; however, they
are very variable in ground colour, sometimes being of a
bluish-white, unspotted. The nest is loosely built of the
tops of sedges, reeds, or rushes, and is placed about a foot
or more above the surface of the water or swamp. She is
fond of low marshy districts, such as Norfolk, Kent, Essex,
and some parts of Lincolushire, and I have frequently
found her round the edges of high mountain tarns in the
Pennine range.

6 THE SNIPE.
Tux Snipe generally lays four eggs, rather large for her
size, of a grey colour, tinged with yellow or olive-green,
and blotched with umber or rusty brown, of two shades,

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 61

more thickly towards the larger end. The eggs are
sharply pointed, and invariably placed with the small endg
together in the middle. Her nest is placed in a slight
depression in the earth, which she lines with withered grass,
rushes, or dried heather. It is situated in long grass,
rushes, or amongst heather, near to tarns, swamps, bogs,
and other places suitable to the habitat of the bird.

THE CHIFFCHAFF.

Tus bird lays five, six, or seven eggs of white ground,
dotted with brown or blackish-purple spots, predominating
at the larger end ; the shell is very delicate, and must be
carefully handled. Her nest is built of dead grass, the
skeletons of leaves, tin pieces of bark and moss, lined
profusely inside with wool, feathers, and hair. It is
situated amongst furzes, brambles, in hedge-banks near
the ground, occasionally amongst long grass on the ground,
and is spherical in shape, with an opening at the side.

THE MARTIN.

Tus Martin seems particularly fond of attaching her nest
to the habitations of man. I have counted eighteen nesta
in as many feet under the eaves of one house. She builds
under eaves, angles of windows, arches of bridges, throughs
of cow-barns, rocks, sea-cliffs, &c. Her nest is composed of
clay and mud, particularly that found on roads covered
with limestone, as it possesses great adhesive qualities

62 EGGS AND EGG-OOLLECTING.

when dry. If the weather is dull it takes her some time
to build her nest, but if it is dry and fine she runs it up
quickly, working most dexterously at it early in the morn-
ing. She lines it internally with straw, hay, and feathers,
and returns to the same nesting-place year after year, some-
times to find her cosy little nest occupied by sparrows.
She lays four or five eggs, white, the yolk giving them
a slight pinky tinge, unspotted.

THE HEDGE-SPARROW.

Tur Hedge-sparrow’s favourite nesting-place is in haw-
thorn hedges, the nest is also found in furze-bushes, low
shrubs, laurels, &., and is composed of straw, dried grass,
moss, and wool, lined with hair. The eggs are four or
five in number, of a beautiful greenish-blue.

THE DIPPER.

Tue Dipper, or Water Ouzel as it is called in some dis-
tricts, builds her nest in such splendid harmony with its
surroundings that it is very difficult to find. It is gene-
rally placed near to some waterfall, and very often behind
it, so that the bird has to fly through the water on entering
and leaving her nest. It is also found in caves, underneath
the arches of bridges, and I have even found one in a tree.
The exterior is composed of aquatic mosses, and the interior
beautifully lined with dry leaves. Dippers’ nests are

EGGS.

1. Dipper. 2. Garden Warbler. 3. Missel Thrush. 4. Spoonbill. 5. Ptarmigan.
6. Peregrine Falcon, 7. Curlew. 8. Hooded Crow. g. Coot.

BEGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 53

generally of large size, almost globular in form, with a
central hole for the entrance and exit of the bird. She
lays from four to six eggs, the average being five, of
a delicate semi-transparent white, unspotted.

THE GARDEN WARBLER.

Tue Garden Warbler’s nest is located a few feet from the
ground, in the branches of a thorn or bramble-bush, and
coarse grasses, which are densely matted. It is made of
straws, dried grass, fibrous roots, wool, and horse-hair, and
is rather loose and slovenly. Her eggs number four or
five, of a pale yellowish stone-grey, blotched and spotted
with ash-grey and purplish-brown.

THE MISSEL THRUSH.

Tuis bird, known in many parts of the country as the
Misseltoe Thrush, builds her nest in trees, resting it on a
branch close to the trunk, or where the trunk ends abruptly
in two or three strong branches. It is composed of dried
grass and moss, with a liberal mixture of wool, which helps
it to adhere to the bark of the tree, and is lined internally
with fine soft grass. Her eggs number from four to six,
according to some authorities, of a pale green, speckled
with brown, of two shades ; however, the colours are sub-
ject to variation. She commences to breed very early in
the season, like the Common Thrush, and has been known
‘o lay twice in the same nest, which strengthens my
opinion that the bird does often rear two broods in one

64 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

season, from the time I have known her to occupy the
same nest. P

THE SPOONBILL.

Tue Spoonbill lays from two to four eggs, which vary in
colour, some being entirely white, whilst others are spotted
with a light brownish-red. The nest is situated in trees,
or amongst the reeds and rushes on the ground, the bird
seeming, like the Heron, partial to society. If the
nature of the position will permit, several nests are situated
close together, and are composed of sticks, coarse grass,
and dried roots, carelessly thrown together. The bird
does not breed in this country.

THE PTARMIGAN.

Tuis bird lays from six to fifteen eggs of a pale red,
brown or white, blotched with two shades of darker brown.
Her nest is situated on the ground, on the bleak stony
mountain-tops of the mainland of Scotland and the sur-
rounding islands. It is merely a cavity scratched in the
ground, in which the hen lays her eggs.

THE PEREGRINE FALCON.
Tus noble bird builds her nest of sticks, and places it
amongst rugged cliffs, chiefly round the coast. She lays

three or four eggs of a red-brown colour, with darker
blotches and clouds,

EGGS AND E@G-COLLECTING. 65

THE OURLEW.

Or slight construction, the nest of this bird is situated
on moorland, heath, and marsh tracts of land; a few
leaves or other dry materials, carelessly brought together
among long grass, heather, or in a tuft of rushes, is all
that appears. The eggs are four in number, pear-shaped,
and generally placed with the smaller ends together, of an
olive-green colour, blotched and spotted with darker green
and dark brown.

THE HOODED CROW.

Hoopep Crows lay four or five eggs of a grey-green,
blotched and spotted with smoky brown. Their nests are
built of sticks, heather, and wool, and are situated amongst
rocks and sea-cliffs in Scotland, occasionally in trees, and
are very similar to those of the Carrion Crow.

THE OOOT.
Tux Coot lays from seven to ten eggs, of a dingy stone
colour or dull buff, spotted and speckled with brown ; the
spots are less numerous but darker than the speckles. Her
nest is situated in marshes and ponds, and is composed of
decaying sedges, reeds, flags, and rushes; and, though of
clumsy appearance, is very strong. It is built on willows
that grow amongst the water, on tufts of rushes, and
more commonly among reeds. It has been known to be
dislodged from its position by a flood, and swept ashore

66 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING,

whilst the bird was incubating without any apparent in-
convenience to her.

THE WATER RAIL.

As might be expected, the nest of this bird is composed
of sedges and flags, in somewhat considerable quantities,
and is situated under thick cover in osier-beds and swamps
in which alders grow, more especially in the southern
counties of England. The hen lays from six to nine eggs
of a creamy-white, with a few small reddish spots and dots.

THE COMMON BUNTING.

Taz Common Bunting lays from four to six eggs of a
grey colour, tinged with red-brown, purple-brown, and ash-
coloured spots or streaks. Her nest is built of straw and
coarse hay outside, lined in the interior with fibrous roots,
and sometimes with horse-hair. It is situated amongst
soarse grass near to or on the ground.

THE YELLOW-HAMMER.

fms beautiful bird lays from three to six eggs of a dingy
white tinged with purple, streaked and veined with purple-
brown, the streak or vein generally terminating in a spot
of the same colour. Her nest is situated on or near the
ground, sheltered by overhanging grass, and is composed of
dried or decayed leaves of grass round the exterior, followed

EGGS.

1. Water Rail. 2. Common Bunting. 3. Yellow Hammer. 4. Gyr-Falcon.
3. Jack Snipe. 6. Red-backed Shrike. 7. Chough. 8. Fieldfare. 9. Puffin

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING., 67

by a layer of finer grass, and the interior lined with horse-
hair.

THE JACK SNIPE.

AccorDING to some of the very best authorities on British
ornithology, the Jack Snipe does not breed in these islands
although an occasional nest is said to have been found.
The bird is only a winter migrant, and breeds in the
neighbourhood of St. Petersburg. The eggs are four in
number, of a yellowish olive colour, spotted with two shades
of brown, especially on the larger end.

THE GYR FALCON.

Tue Gyr Falcon does not build in the British Isles,
but in Iceland, Greenland, and the northern districts
of Europe and America. The nest is composed of sticks,
seaweed, and mosses, and is situated in lofty precipices.
The eggs are two in number, mottled nearly all over with
pale reddish-brown on a dull white ground. They are
larger than those of the Peregrine Falcon, but very similar
in shape and colour, as well as in the mode in which the
colour is disposed over the surface.

THE FIELDFARE.

A Fyetprary’s nest has never, within my personal know-
ledge, been found in the British Isles, the birds breeding
in the more northern parts of Europe, such as Norway and

68 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

Sweden, in large numbers. They build their nests near to
the trunks of spruce trees, employing such materials as
sticks and coarse grass, and weeds gathered wet, intermixed
with clay, and lined internally with long grass. The eggs
number from three to six, somewhat resembling those of
the Blackbird or Ring Ouzel.

THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE.

Tur Red-backed Shrike lays five or six eggs of a pink-
white or cream-colour, with brown spots predominating
at the larger end. Her nest is composed of wool, moss,

bents of grass, and hair, and is situated in furze-bushes,
whitethorn hedges, &c.

THE CHOUGH.

Tus bird builds her nest in sea-cliffs, in caves, old
ruins, &c., near the sea. It is composed of sticks, lined
with a liberal application of wool and hair. Her eggs
number five or six of a dirty white colour, spotted and
blotched chiefly at the larger end with raw sienna-brown
and ash colour.

THE PUFFIN

Lays one grey-coloured egg marked with indistinct spots of
pale brown ; the nest is generally minus materials, so the egg
is placed on the bare earth at the extremity of a burrow or
fissure in a sea cliff. She often adopts a rabbit-burrow if

wo

5. Hawfinch. 6. Stock Dove.

EGGS.

1, Ring Ouzel. 2. Kentish Plover.

7. Dartford Warbler.

3. Buzzard. 4. Cirl Bunting.

8. Pochard. 9. Black Redstart.

o

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 59

it is situated in the immediate neighbourhood of the sea,
and should the original owner or excavator be bold enough
to dispute the right of proprietorship, this remarkable bird
is not at all indisposed to do battle for possession of the
situation her fancy has selected as a desirable place in
which to carry out the duties imposed by Nature’s law for
the perpetuation of the species.

In the absence of a suitable cranny or rift in the rock,
or the accommodation usually afforded by the presence of
rabbits, the bird will set to work and excavate a hole some-
times as much as three feet deep, sticking to her task with
such assiduity as often to endanger her safety from capture.

It seems, however, that she takes great care that what-
ever place is adopted for her nest it shall not be reached
by even the highest tide. The nest of the Puffin is found
in great numbers in the Isle of Wight, Puffin Island,
Scilly Islands, Isle of Anglesea, and many islands on the
coast of Scotland. The parent bird cannot be induced to
leave her nest except by force, sitting very closely, and
determinedly defending it with her singularly constructed
and formidable beak, with which she bites most severely.

THE RING OUZEL.

Tae mountainous districts of the North of England and
Scotland are the favourite nesting-places of this bird,
which seems most at home in lonely secluded districts.
It has often struck me that it is to this bird alone
the mountain ash owes its existence high up in nearly
every little mountain valley where no other tree is to
be seen, the Ring Ouzel eating the berries and dropping
the seed in all sorts of out-of-the-way nooks and corners.

60 EGG8 AND EGG-COLLECTING.

The situation of the nest, its materials and stiucture, also
the eggs of the Ring Ouzel and Blackbird, differ but
little, and I have often had a difficulty in determining the
rightful owner of a nest, until the parent bird has been
watched on or off. The nest is composed of coarse grass,
moss, and mud, with an inner lining of finer grass, and is
generally situated in clefts of rock, steep banks, or old
walls, sometimes quite on the ground.” The eggs number
four or five, of a dull bluish-green, freckled or blotched
with reddish-brown, markings generally larger and fewer
than those of the Blackbird.

THE KENTISH PLOVER.

No trouble is taken by this bird in nest-building, simply
depositing its eggs in some depression or hollow of the
sand or shingle on the southern coasts of England, princi-
pally Kent and Sussex. The eggs number four, and are of
a cream, stone, or pale testaceous-brown colour, streaked
and spotted with black.

THE BUZZARD.

THe Buzzard sometimes builds a nest of sticks, hay, leaves,
and wool; at others adopts a crow’s nest in some mo-
derately high tree. Her eggs number two, three, and even
four, and are of a dingy white; sometimes this colour
alone, and at others spotted and blotched at the larger end
with red-brown.

THE CIRL BUNTING.

Some low bush or furze is generally adopted by this bird
for its nesting-place. The nest is composed of dry grass,
roots, and moss, with generally an inner lining of hair, but

feus . » Teas

EGGS AND EGG-COLLBOTING. 61

sometimes without either moss or hair. The eggs number
four or five, of a dull bluish or cinereous white with ir-
regular streaks of dark brown, often terminating in a spot
at one end.

THE HAWFINCH.

Taz Hawfinch builds in various kinds of trees and at
various heights ; sometimes its nest is found quite exposed
in a whitethorn bush, or on the horizontal branch of an
oak. It is built of twigs, &c., intermixed with lichens,
and interlined with fine fibrous roots and hair. Her eggs
number from four to six, of a pale olive-green colour,
irregularly streaked with dusky grey and spotted with
black. The ground-colour is variable, being sometimes of
a buffish hue.

THE STOOK DOVE.

Cuzrts in rocks, rabbit-holes, cavities in the trunks of trees,
and often on the ground beneath thick furze-bushes which
are next door to waterproof on account of their thickness,
are the situations chosen by the Stock Dove. Very little
trouble is taken with the nest, which merely consists of a
few twigs and roots. The eggs only number two, of a pure
shining white.

THE DARTFORD WARBLER.

Turck furze-bushes are the places chosen by this bird for
its nesting-place on the commons of Kent and Surrey,
The materials used are dead branches of furze, moss, and
dry grass mixed with wool, and lined inside with finer dead
grasses, the whole structure being loosely put together,
The eggs number four or five, and are of a greenish, somes

62 EGGS AND EGG@-COLLECTING.

times buffish, white ground speckled all over with dark or
olive brown and cinereous, which become more dense at
the larger end and form a zone. The eggs are at. times
more numerously spotted than at others; then the markings
are not so large.

THE POOHARD.

Tus bird breeds in the east and south of England,
also in Scotland and Ireland, although it is much less
numerous during the summer than the winter months.
The position of its nest is similar to that of the
Wild Duck, also the materials of which it is composed
(dead grass and sedge, as well as down when the bird

has begun to sit). Its eggs number from seven even to
thirteen, but ten is the usual number laid, of a greenish-

buff colour.

THE BLACK REDSTART.

Turs well-known visitor breeds in many parts of Europe
and North Africa, building a nest very similar to that
of the Robin, composed chiefly of twigs, straw, dried
grass, &c., and situated in holes of walls and other positions
similar to the above-mentioned bird. Five is the usual
number of eggs; however, four only, or as many as six, are
found, generally pure white in colour, occasionally tinged
faintly with brown. Cases are recorded where they have
been found spotted at the larger end with minute brown
spots.

THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER.

Many curious positions for rearing a family have been
chosen by the Spotted Fiycateber, but its nest is generally

6. Grey Wagtail.

7. Smew.

EGGS.

1. Spotted Fly-catcher. 2. Tree Sparrow. 3. Brambling. 4. Whinchat. 5. Scoter.

8. Black-headed Bunting.

g. Great Spotted Woodpecker.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 63

found in trees which are trained against walls, barns,
tool and summer houses. It is composed of a diversity
of material, and no fixed rule seems to be adhered tom
bents, straws, moss new and old, hairs, feathers, &e. The
eggs number four, five, or even six, of a grey-white
spotted with faint red; sometimes, but rarely, pale blue,
unspotted. The ground-colour varies from grey or bluish-
white to pea-green, the markings also being in various
shades, clouded, spotted, and blotched with faint red or
reddish-brown.

THE TREE SPARROW.

Hotzs in pollard and other trees are chosen as desirable
situations by this bird for perpetuating its race, and some-
times in the thatches of old barns along with the Common
House Sparrow. Its nest is very similar to that of its
more widely-distributed and better-known kinsman, viz.,
of hay, dry grass, and straw, with a liberal lining of nice
warm feathers. The eggs generally number four or five,
of a grey colour, thickly spotted with umber-brown or
darker grey, sometimes white with grey spots or blotches,
and may be described, like the Common Sparrow’s, as variable,

THE BRAMBLING.

Scanprnavia and other countries situated in high latitudes
are the breeding-haunts of this little bird, which builds a
nest very similar to the Chaffinch. It is placed fourteen or
twenty feet from the ground, in the fork of a branch
shooting out from the trunk of a birch or spruce fir-tree,
and composed of moss, lichens, bark, mixed with thistle-
down, and lined with fine grass and feathers. Its eggs

64 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

number from five to seven, similar to those of the Chaf-
finch, the ground-colour being generally green, and the
spots not so dark nor large.

THE WHINCHAT.

THE nest of this bird is composed of grass and moss of
different kinds, the stronger on the outside, and the finer
forming a lining for the interior, and is situated on the
ground in positions where it is by no means an easy
task for the most veteran collector to find it. It lays five
or six eggs of a delicate bluish-green, rarely speckled or
marked with red-brown.

THE SOOTER.

Tuer most northern counties of Scotland are the nesting-
places of this bird, which gathers together such materials
as twigs, grasses, dry stalks, and leaves, placing them
under cover, or in hiding, afforded by the low-growing
shrubs or plants, and lining the whole with down. The
eggs number from six to ten, and are of a pale greyish-
buff colour, sometimes slightly tinged with green.

THE GREY WAGTAIL.

Some naturalists describe the position of this bird’s nest as
on the ground ; but, personally, I have generally found
them in the niches of rocks, or under overhanging ledges or
banks. The nest is composed of moss, bents, grass,
horsehair, often lined with a coat of cow’s-hair, which they
rub off against walls and trees in the spring-time. This
bird’s eggs number five of six, and are of a grey colour,
mottled and spotted with ochre-grey or brown, variable,

n

5. Shore Lark.

6. Gannet.

3

EGGS.

fe
1. Rock Pipit. 2. Cormorant. 3. Creeper. 4. Turtle Dove.

7. Quail.

8. Oyster-catcher.

g. Cole Tit

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 65

THE SMEW,

TE nesting-place of this bird is in high latitudes, such as
north-east Russia, and the situation chosen is in the
hollow trunk of a tree. The material of which the nest is
composed is taken from the bird’s body, and consists
entirely of down. Her eggs number from seven to eight,
very similar to those of the Wigeon, creamy-white in
colour, fine-grained, and rather glossy.

THE BLACK-HEADED BUNTING.

Moist swampy localities are chosen by this bird as the
situation for its nest, which is composed of dried grass,
moss, and an inner lining of finer grass, reed-down, or
horsehair, and generally, though not always, placed on the
ground, among rushes or coarse long grass. It lays four
or five eggs of a pale reddish-brown or grey with a rosy
tinge, streaked, veined, and spotted with brown of a rich
dark purple shade.

THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

TuE position of the Woodpecker’s nest is in the hollow
trunk of some tree. A hole generally about two feet deep
is chosen, but the parent bird does not seem to consider any
attempt at nest-building in any way necessary. The eggs
are laid on pieces of wood chipped off inside, and number
four or five, white, occasionally stained or dyed by the
material on which they are laid.

THE ROOK PIPIT.

Lepeus or crevices of rocks near the sea-shore are the
favourite building-places of this bird. It collects such
E

66 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

materials as dry grasses of various kinds, and seaweed,
with an inner lining of fine grass, and occasionally horse-
hair. Its eggs number four or five, of a grey ground~-
colour, occasionally slightly tinged with green. The spots
are variable in shade, being sometimes greyish-brown, at
others reddish ; the underlying ones are always light grey.
The spots are small, and more crowded at the larger end.

THE CORMORANT.

Rocky coasts are chosen by the Cormorant, which builds an
ample nest of sticks, seaweed, and coarse grass on some
ledge or shelf of sea cliff. Her eggs number from four to
six, of a chalky-white colour, varied with pale blue or
greenish tinge, which is really the colour of the proper
shell, the white being only a rough coat.

THE CREEPER.

Tuis little bird generally builds its nest in a hollow tree, its
materials being fine twigs, dead grass, moss, and feathers,
and lays from six to nine eggs of a white ground-colour,
speckled with red-brown at the larger end, much resembling
those of the Willow Wren and Blue Titmouse.

THE TURTLE DOVE.

Tue eastern and southern counties are the favourite
nesting localities of this Dove, which builds a loose nest
of sticks and twigs, carelessly thrown together, in a fir,
holly, or other bush. The eggs number two, are quite
white, and much smaller for the size of the bird than the
Ring and Stock Doves.

_— =_ Oe

eS” eee

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 67

THE SHORE LARK.

Cotp northern climates, like Lapland and Siberia, are
chosen by the Shore Lark for breeding-places. Its nest is
generally situated in some slight hollow on the ground, and
is loosely made of grass, with an inner lining of willow-
down or hair from the reindeer. Her eggs number three,
four, or five, the second figure being the general rule, and
are, like those of the Common Lark, liable to variation in
colouring. The ground-colour is of a brownish or pale green,
tinted white, marked with neutral brown spotsoften so profuse
that they cover the greyer spots underlying entirely out.

THE GANNET.

Tas bird seems to prefer just the opposite course to that
which most birds adopt in the breeding season, viz., to con-
gregate in thousands, and breed on precipitous rocks,
engaging all ledges and shelves capable of holding a nest,
which is composed of seaweed and other rubbish picked up
by the bird from the ocean, also grass. One egg only is
laid, white or bluish-white when first deposited on the nest,
but soon becoming dirty and soiled by being trodden upon.
Like the Cormorant, this bird’s egg is covered with an
incrustation of chalk, hiding the colour of the true shell,
which is of a greenish or bluish-white.

THE QUAIL.
Green cornfields are generally the situations chosen by the
Quail for a nesting-place, where it selects a small depres-
sion in the ground, and tramples a few blades of grass or
corn down into it, occasionally a few dead leaves. Her eggs
number from seven to even as many as twenty, of a pale

68 L£GGS AND 4“GG-COLLECTING.

yellowish-brown, mottled and clouded or blotched with
red or olive brown; variable both in ground-colour and
markings.

THE OYSTER-CATCHER.

Tus bird lays its eggs, which number three or four—three
being the general rule—on the bare ground, mostly in
slight declivities, taking care that they are above high-
water-mark. Sometimes a few bents, pebbles, or broken
shells are used as a sort of lining. The eggs are stone or
cream colour, of a variety of shades, blotched with dark
brown, occasionally streaked and spotted with a lighter
hue. The markings are variable in character and position,
some being pretty equally distributed over the eggs, whilst
others are inclined to form a belt round the larger end.

THE COLE TIT.

Trunks of trees, holes in walls and banks made by rats,
moles, or mice, are selected for incubation purposes by this
little bird. The nest is built of moss, wool, and hair, and
contains from five to eight, or even nine eggs, white,
spotted and freckled with light red or red-brown.

THE GUILLEMOT.

Tue Guillemot makes no nest at all, but deposits its single
egg on the ledges of sea-cliffs in a great many places
round our coasts. A verbal description of it is almost
useless, as the colouring presents such a wonderful variety
of tints. The ground-colours are white, cream, yellowish-
green, blue, reddish-brown, pea-green, purplish-brown, &c.
Some are profusely spotted and blotched or streaked with
black, black-brown, or grey in great variety ; whilst others

EGGS:

5. Little Auk.

4. Marsh Tit.
Long-tailed Titmou

3. Dotterel.

2. Rock Dove.

Guillemot.

I,

Razor-bill,

9

se.

8.

Red-Legged Partridge. 7. Sanderling.

6

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 69

are scarcely marked at all. Our illustration may be taken
as a very good specimen of one kind of colouring and.
marking, though a very pretty one might be given of an
entirely different colour and character.

THE ROCK DOVE,
Lepexs and fissures or crevices in sea-cliffs are the nesting-
places of this bird, which uses sticks, twigs, heath, and
ead grass for building purposes. Her eggs are two in
number, quite white.

THE DOTTEREL.

Movunratn-rors in the North of Scotland are the favourite
nesting-places of the Dotterel, which is now becoming
comparatively rare in districts where it was once common.
It uses no materials for nest-making, simply laying three
eggs in a slight cavity amongst woolly-fringe moss or other
mountain vegetation which affords some little concealment.
The eggs are of a dark cream or olivaceous-brown colour
thickly blotched or spotted with dark brown or brownish-
black.

THE MARSH TIT.

Ho tzs in trees (generally willows or pollards), banks, &c.,
are the places adopted by the Marsh Tit for its nest, which
is composed of moss, wool, and down from rabbits, or the
ripe catkins of willows. Her eggs number from six to
eight, or even as many as ten have been found. They are
white, spotted with red-brown, more thickly at the larger end.

THE LITTLE AUK.

Tue rocky shores of Spitzbergen, Greenland, and Iceland
form suitable breeding resorts for this bird, which makes no

70 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

nest, but deposits its single egg on the bare ground in
some crevice or under loose rocks. The egg is of a pale
greenish-blue, or white tinged with greenish-blue, a little
spotted and veined, especially at the larger end, with rust-
colour or yellowish-brown. Sometimes the egg has no

spots or streaks, at others only indistinctly streaked or
veined at the large end.

THE RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE.

Tuts bird makes a slight nest of bents and leaves upon the
ground in grass, corn, or clover fields ; however, instances
have been cited where it has been found at considerable
elevation. But this departure from the general rule I have
noticed with other birds on rare occasions. Her eggs
number from twelve to eighteen, of a yellow-grey or cream
colour, marked with red or cinnamon-brown.

THE SANDERLING.

Tur Sanderling is only a visitor to our shores, and breeds
in Arctic countries, such as Labrador, Greenland, &c. Its
nest is composed of grass and built upon the ground. The
eggs are four in number, of a buffish-olive ground-colour,
spotted and mottled plentifully with dark brown or black.
also with indistinct sub-markings of a greyish tinge.

THE LONG-TAILED TIT.
Hepazs and bushes are the positions taken up by this
skilled little architect and builder, whose beautiful work
wins the admiration of all naturalists. Oval in shape, it is
of large size compared with the bird, and strongly and com-
pactly put together with wool, lichens, and moss, the two
former of which adhere very closely when they once become

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 71

entangled. A small hole is left on one side, pretty high up,
for ingress and egress, and the inside is lined with feathers,
which make it as warm and comfortable, at least to the
human understanding, as the outside is compact. The
eggs number from seven to ten, and even sixteen or
twenty, which are probably the production of more than
one bird; white or rosy-white until blown (by reason of
the yolk showing through the thin transparent shell), with
very small reddish-brown spots round the larger end.

THE RAZOR-BILL.

Tue Guillemot and Razor-Bill appear to be very much
alike in the choice of their position for breeding purposes,
and alike only lay one egg each; but that of the latter
differs very much from the former in diversity of colour-
ing. It is white or buffy-white, spotted and blotched with
black, chestnut, or reddish-brown.

THE SANDWICH TERN.

Low, sandy islands, such as the Wamses at the Farne and
Scilly Isles, and at suitable places on the Scottish and
Trish coasts, are the favourite breeding places of this Tern.
Sometimes a slight hollow is scratched in the sand or
gravel; at others no declivity at all is formed for the
nest. Occasionally a few bits of grass are used as a
lining. The eggs number two or three, and vary from
creamy-white to dark buff in ground colour. They are
blotched and spotted with reddish- and blackish-brown and
underlying light grey markings-

72 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

THE ARCTIC TERN.

Brxeps on low islands and in suitable places along the
coast, chielly in the northern parts of our kingdom. I
have found most nests amongst the shingle. As a rule, no
materials whatever are used. The eggs are two or three,
varying from greyish-buff to buffish-brown (I have seen
them occasionally pale blue), spotted and blotched with
blackish-brown and underlying pale grey. The eggs of
this bird run slightly smaller than those of the Common
Tern.

THE COMMON TERN.

Tue situation, nest, and eggs of this bird differ but little
from those of the Arctic Tern, except that the nest is often
farther away from the water’s edge, and generally lined
with bits of withered grass and weed. The bird is a more
abundant breeder, however, round the English coast, and
less numerous in Scotland. Its eggs run slightly larger,
are not' so boldly marked, and the ground colour is less
prone to an olive tinge.

THE LESSER TERN.

Ovz result of the recently-passed law for the better pro-
tection of Wild Birds ought to be the stoppage of the
decrease of this beautiful little Tern’s numbers. It breeds
in suitable localities round our coast, depositing its eggs
on the shingle without making any nest at all. These
number two, three, and occasionally four, similar in
coloration to those of the Common and Arctic Terns, but
smaller in size.

EGGS.

1. Yellow Wagtail 2. Twite. 3. Hobby. 4- Marsh Harrier.
5. Osprey. 6. Snow Bunting. 7. Tufted Duck. 8. Goosander 9 Ringed Plover.
10. Short-eared Owl

EGGS AND EG@G-COLLECTING. 78

THE GOSHAWK.

Hiau trees on the outsides of forests and large woods are
chosen, by the Goshawk for the accommodation of its nest,
which is made of sticks, twigs, rootlets, and moss. It lays
four eggs generally, but sometimes only three are found,
and at others as many as five; of a pale bluish-white,
occasionally marked with small, light reddish-brown spots.
The bird has, however, long since ceased to breed in the
British Isles, unless as a rare exception.

THE YELLOW WAGTAIL.

I Have met with this somewhat local though common
summer visitor’s nest most abundantly in the Yorkshire
dales. It is situated on the ground, in meadows, pastures,
and on commons, and is generally sheltered by a clod, piece
of overhanging bank, or tuft of grass, and is often most
difficult to find. It is composed of grass, moss, and root-
lets, with an inner lining of horse and cow hair, sometimes
a few feathers. The eggs number from four to six,
greyish-white in ground colour, and thickly speckled with
greyish- and yellowish-brown. They are very similar to
those of the Grey Wagtail.

THE GREY LAG GOOSE.

Tuis bird places its nest on the ground in desolate swamps
and on lonely moors in the Highlands of Scotland, and the
islands lying to the west; also in Ireland, in County
Monaghan. It builds a large nest of sticks, heather, twigs,
reed, grass and moss, with an inner lining of down from

14 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

the bird’s own body. The eggs number six to éight, or
even a dozen, creamy-white, unpolished.

THE MUTE SWAN.

AvrHouaH semi-domesticated and holding its footing only
by the help of strict protection, the Swan has been so
long with us that it merits treatment, I think. Its nest
is composed of reeds, rushes, and grass, with a slight lining
of down and feathers, and is placed on small islands and
on the banks of lakes and rivers. The eggs number from
three or four to a dozen, according to the age of the parent
bird, and are greenish-white, roughish, and unspotted.

THE SHAG,

In caves, fissures, on ledges of maritime cliffs, and amongst
huge boulders piled up along the beach of small rocky
islands around our coasts, may be found the nest of this
bird. I have seen specimens close together vary con-
siderably in size according to the accommodation. It is
composed of seaweed, sticks, sprigs of heather, turf, and
grass. The eggs number two, three, four, or five, generally
one of the first two numbers, the real shell being of a
delicate bluish-green, but difficult to see oa account of the
thick, chalky encrustation.

THE ORESTED TIT.

fHE nest of this pretty little bird is placed in a hole in the
branch or trunk of a tree at varying heights from the

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 15

ground, and is met with only in the pine forests of Scot-
land. Itis composed of grass, moss, wool, fur, and feathers.
The eggs number four to seven or eight, and are white in
ground colour, freckled and spotted with reddish-brown,
generally forming a belt round the large end.

THE GADWALL.

Tuis bird is only known to nest in one or two places in
Norfolk. It has been my pleasure to examine two nests—
one situated amongst rough, dead grass, and the other in a
tuft of rushes—in each case quite close to the water. The
nest is made of dry grass, rushes, or withered leaves, and
lined with beautiful soft down. From eight to twelve or
thirteen creamy-white eggs are laid.

THE TUFTED DUCK.

Tu1s member of the Duck family selects the neatest and
best concealed situation of all. It is generally well
hidden in a tussock of rushes growing in or close to the
water of a mere or pond. The nest is made of dead rushes,
grass, or reeds, and is lined with small dark pieces of
down, with whitish centres. The eggs are light greenish-
buff in colour, and number from eight to ten, or even
thirteen. They are very similar to those of the Pochard,
but the down tufts in the nest are darker.

THE STONE CURLEW.

Founp on stony, arable land, commons, and rough, bare
pastures. I have watched the bird through my binoculars,

76 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

when put off her eggs, fly to some distance and remain
quite flat upon the ground, with which she closely har-
monises. The nest is a mere unlined hollow, with some-
times a few bents in it, which may as easily as not have
been blown there. Her eggs number two, of light buffish
to clay-brown ground colour, blotched and spotted with
blackish-brown and grey. I have noticed that one egg in
a nest will differ radically in the size and intensity of its
markings from the others.

THE FULMAR PETREL.

So far as the British Isles are concerned, it is perhaps only
safe to say that this bird breeds at St. Kilda, although it
has been reported from other quarters. Its nest is situated
on ledges of cliffs covered with a sufficient amount of earth
for the bird. to make a burrow in, or in crevices. It is
sometimes lined with a scanty supply of dry grass; at
others no lining at all is used. The bird lays a single
rough, chalky-white egg.

THE GARGANEY.

NorFotk seems to be the last: breeding resort of this duck.
Its nest is situated in reed beds, or such other vegetation
as will afford the bird plenty of concealment. It is com-
posed of reeds, leaves, or dry grass, and is lined with
pieces of down, the long white tips of which distinguish it
from the Teal. The eggs are creamy-white, like those of

EGGS AND EGG-.COLLECTING. 17

the bird above-named, and number from seven or eight to
as many as thirteen.

THE GOOSANDER.

Tur Goosander breeds in the Highlands of Scotland, and
situates its nest in hollow trees and crevices of rock,
generally near the water. Very little, if any, material is
said to be used excepting the warm lining of greyish-
white down from the bird’s own body. The eggs number
from eight to a dozen or thirteen, creamy-white and smooth-

shelled.

THE GREAT CRESTED GREBE,

Te midland and eastern counties contain the favourite
breeding resorts of this handsome bird. Its nest is com-,
posed of all kinds of dead aquatic vegetation, such as reeds
and flags, and is situated in or on the water of lakes,
broads, large tarns, and meres. The bird lays three or four
eggs, sometimes even as many as five, white and chalky
when first laid, but soon becoming soiled and dirty.

THE BLACK GUILLEMOT.

Tue Isle of Man, Hebrides, Orkneys, Shetlands, and some
parts of Ireland are favoured by this bird as a breeder.
Its nest is situated in crevices and under ledges and
boulders of rock. No materials of any kind are used for
its nest. The eggs number two, varying from light
bluish-green to light buffy-white in ground colour, spotted,

78 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

speckled, and blotched with rich blackish-brown and pale
reddish-brown and underlying grey markings.

THE KITTIWAKE.

Tue nest of the Kittiwake is situated on ledges of mari-
time cliffs round our coast, and at the Farne Islands I
have seen the bird occupying such a small corner that it
was unable to sit properly on its eggs. The nest is made
of seaweed and lined with dead grass. Its eggs number
two, three, and rarely four, and vary from light greenish-
blue to stone colour, or buffish-brown, blotched and spotted
with varying shades of brown and grey. The markings
sometimes form a zone round the larger end.

THE SHORT-EARED OWL.

On the ground, amongst heather or sedges, this bird makes
its nest, in the eastern and northern counties and in Scot-
land. It uses next to no materials, but such as are present
consist of bits of dead reeds and leaves. Its eggs number
from four to seven or eight, pure mee) unspotted, and

oval in shape.
&

THE LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

ALTHOUGH nowhere abundant, this bird breeds in suitable
districts throughout England. Its nest is situated in a
hole in the trunk or some large branch of a tree, and is

£GGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 79

about seven to a dozen inches deep. I have found it quite
close to London. No materials are used for the nest
except chippings of dry wood detached in the construction
of the hole. Eggs from five or six to eight, and even nine,
white, without spots, and polished.

THE WILLOW WREN.

Tue nest of the Willow Wren, or Willow Warbler, is
situated on or near the ground in fields, orchards, woods,
and almost everywhere. It is made of moss, bits of dried
grass, occasionally fern-fronds or leaves, and is lined with
feathers and hair. The eggs number from four or five to
seven, and upon occasion I have found eight. They are
white, spotted with reddish-brown.

THE SEDGE WARBLER.

I wave found this bird’s nest amongst low bushes, tufts of
tall, coarse grass, and amongst nettles; generally, though
not always, near water. It is composed of grass-stems
lined with finer grass, horsehair, and sometimes vegetable
down in small quantities. The eggs number five or six,
light yellowish-brown tinged with blue, which is rarely seen
on account of the closely-crowded yellowish-brown or
buffish-brown markings. The eggs generally have a few
streaks or lines of blackish-brown on the larger end.

THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.

Tue nest of this bird is found on the ground, concealed
beneath rocks, or amongst the vegetation growing on the

Laboratory of Ornithelegy

Car: ' Weods Mead
ity

k 1485 +

80 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

banks of large bodies of water in Scotland and Ireland.
I have seen it on the banks of streams, where it must have
been washed away by the first freshet. It is composed of
bits of heather, dry leaves, and down from the bird’s own
body. The eggs number from six or seven to nine, or
even a dozen, and vary from buffish-grey to pale olive-grey
in colour.

THE GREENSHANK,

Breeps chiefly in the Highlands of Scotland, and the
islands lying to the west thereof. Its nest is merely a
slight declivity lined with a few bits of dry grass, dead
heather, or leaves. The eggs number four, of a stone
colour or creamy-white, spotted and blotched dark
reddish-brown and grey.

THE WHIMBREL.

Tue islands to the west and north of Scotland are the
breeding home of the Whimbrel. A slight dry hollow in
the shelter of a tussock of grass or heath is selected on
some lonely piece of moor. The nest is lined with a few
blades of withered grass, sprigs of heather, or dead leaves.
The eggs number four, varying from darkish buff to olive-
green, spotted and blotched with reddish-brown, olive-
brown, and underlying markings of grey.

THE REED WARBLER

Turis bird suspends its nest between the stems of reeds and
branches of willows and other trees growing from or over

EGGS.

1. Wood Warbler 2 Greenshank
4. Reed Warbler s Whimbrel. 6. Black Guillemot.

8 Red-breasted Merganser

3. Sandwich Tern.

9 Bearded Tit.

7. Garganey.

EGGS AND EGG@-OOLLECTING. 81

water. It is composed of sedge grass, reed leaves, moss,
hair, and reed down. It is found in the Southern and
Eastern portions of England. The eggs number four or
five, light greenish-blue or greenish-white, spotted, freckled,
and clouded with greenish-brown or dark olive, and under-
lying markings of greyish-brown. The spots are generally
most numerous round the larger end of the egg.

THE WOOD WARBLER.

Brezps sparingly throughout England and in Southern
Scotland. Its nest is placed in tufts of coarse grass and
other vegetation on the ground, and is composed of dry
grass, leaves, and bits of moss, and lined with horsehair
only. This feature will readily distinguish it from the nest
of the Chiffchaff and Willow Wren, whose semi-domed
structures it closely resembles in other respects. The eggs
number from five to seven, white in ground colour,
numerously spotted and freckled with purplish-brown and
underlying markings of grey.

THE TWITE.

Tue Twite breeds on the moors in the North of England,
Scotland, and in Ireland. Its nest is situated on or near the
ground amongst heather or furze. It is composed of sprigs
of heath, and lined with rootlets, wool, feathers, and hair.
The eggs number four or five, sometimes six, and are
similar to those of the Linnet, pale bluish-green, spotted,
speckled, and streaked with purplish-red and reddish-
¥

62 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

brown. I have found several nests close together on a
small rocky islet in the Highlands.

THE BEARDED TIT.

17 is thought by some writers that the exceptionally hard
weather we experienced last winter (1894-5) has ex-
tinguished this little bird in its last resort, the fens of
Norfolk and Cambridgeshire; however, it is to be hoped
that this is not the case. Its nest is composed of dead
sedge and reed leaves, lined with grass and reed down,
and is situated near the ground in some large reed bed.
The eggs number from four to seven, light brownish-
white, sparingly marked with streaks and spots of dark
brown.

THE ROSEATE TERN.

So rare a breeder with us has this bird become, that a
celebrated authority recently included it in a work on
British Birds’ Nests only after some hesitation; but I am
pleased to say that two pairs bred last year in one of their
old haunts well known to me. The nest is simply a
hollow in the sand or shingle of a small rocky island, at no
great height from the sea. The eggs number two or three,
and exactly resemble in coloration and size those of the
Common and Arctic Terns.

THE RINGED PLOVER.

Tis pretty little bird makes no nest in the proper sense
of the word, though I have found a few pebbles and

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EGGS AND EGG-OCOLLECTING. 83

small shells used when a rocky place instead of a sandy
beach has been chosen for breeding upon. Its nest is
generally well above high-water mark, amongst fine sand,
shingle, or on bare rock round our coast, and on the shores
of inland sheets of water. The eggs number four, and
vary from pale buff to stone or cream colour, spotted and
speckled all over with small brownish-black and under-
lying inky-grey marks.

—Se

THE MANX SHEARWATER.

Toe Manx Shearwater breeds on the western coasts of
England and Scotland, in the Hebrides and islands to the
north of Scotland ; also in several parts of the Irish coast
and the off-lying islands. Its nest is situated at the end
of a deep burrow, which is generally dug by the bird itself.
Some observers have reported it to consist of bits of grass
and stalks, and others have found no attempt at all at
nest-building in some of the burrows they have opened. It
lays a single white, smooth egg.

THE PINTAIL DUOK.

Tis uncommon Duck breeds in one or two parts of Ireland
and Scotland still, it is said on good authority. Its nest
consists of rushes, sedge, dead grass, and tufts of dark
brown down bearing white tips, and is placed amongst
rushes and such other coarse vegetation as will afford the
bird shelter. The eggs number from six to eight, or even
ten, of a pale buff colour tinged with green.

& EGGS AND EGG@-OOLLEOTING.

LEACH’S FORK-TAILED PETREL

Tue St. Kilda group of islands forms the principal British
breeding haunt of this bird, although colonies nest in the
Hebrides and on the Blaskets off the Irish coast. The nest
is situated at the end of a burrow made by the bird itself,
or under rocks, and is composed of withered grass, moss,
and lichens. Only one egg is laid, white in ground colour,
with a belt of small brownish-red spots round the larger
end.

THE RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.

A urrtLe withered grass or other herbage is used to line the
depression selected by this bird for its nesting place, which
is situated on the ground in grassy swamps and marshes,
near water as a rule, in the North of Scotland and some of
the islands lying to the west and north thereof. Four
eggs are laid, varying in ground colour from olive to pale
buff, spotted, speckled, and blotched with varying shades
of dark brown and underlying specks of light grey.

THE HOOPOE.

Axtuovas this bird has bred in different parts of England,
its chances of doing so now are somewhat remote, on
account of the merciless persecution it suffers at the hands
vf gunners. Its nest is situated in holes in trees, walls, or
rocks, and is composed of bits of straws and dry grass.
The eggs number from five to seven, and vary from light
greenish-blue to pale buff, with minute pitmarks over their
surface,

19

EGGS.

2 Shag. 3 Gadwall

t. Golden Oriole 2 y. Willow Wren.
5. Richardson's Skua. 6. 8. Pintail.

9 Arctic Tern.

Marsh Warbler. 7 Goshawk
to. Blue-headed Wagtail

fo)

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 85

THE GOLDEN ORIOLE.

Tuts bird is, to a very great extent, an accidental visitor to
our shores, but it is thought by eminent authorities that it
would become a common breeder with us were it not so dear
to the heart of the collector. It has bred in several of the
southern counties of England, and suspends its nest, which
is composed of strips of bark, wool, sedge, grass, and leaves,
with an inner lining of flower-heads of grass, beneath the
forks of a large horizontal branch at some considerable
height from the ground. The eggs number four to five
or six, are white or light creamy-white, spotted with
purplish-brown and underlying markings of grey.

THE OSPREY.

Tue Osprey, now only met with in one or two remote
parts of Scotland, employs sticks, turf, moss, and wool
in the construction of its bulky nest, which it builds on
the top of a tall tree or ruin. The eggs number three, some-
times four, varying from white to creamy-white in ground
colour, beautifully marked, and especially so at the larger
end, as a rule with rich reddish-brown. The markings
vary considerably.

THE WHITE WAGTAIL,

Axttuoves this bird is the Continental representative of
our Pied Wagtail, there are on record many well-authen-
ticated instances of its breeding in this country. It differs
from the Pied Wagtail in being bluish or slate grey, where

86 EGGS AND EGG-.OOLLECTING.

that bird is black, below the nape. Its nest, and the
situation in which it is placed, do not differ from that of
the bird just named. The eggs are also similar, but are
said to be subject to greater variation in colour and

markings.

THE BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL.

Tue nest of this somewhat rare visitor has several times
been found in Northumberland, and it has in all prob-
ability nested on many occasions elsewhere, without its
identity being clearly established. The nest is made of dry
grass, fine roots, and moss, lined with hair and occasionally
a few feathers, and is situated on a bank or amongst grass
or corn in a similar position to that of the Yellow Wagtail.
The eggs number five as a rule, but six are sometimes
found, of a yellowish-white ground colour, spotted, freckled,
and clouded with light brown, and occasionally streaked
on the larger end with fine blackish-brown lines.

MONTAGU’S HARRIER.

ArnoveH this bird rarely breeds with us now, its nest has
occasionally been met with in recent years in the southern
counties. The nest is placed on the ground amongst
heath, fern, furze, or growing crops, and consists of a few
twigs, straws, and bits of dead grass. Its eggs number
from four to six, of a faint bluish-white, and are on
rare occasions marked with a few light reddish-brown
spots.

in

EGGS.

1. Hen Harrier 2 Roseate Tern. 3 Great Black-backed Gull.

4 Lesser Black-backed Gull 5. Great Crested Grebe. 6 Kittiwake.
7. Stone Curlew. 8 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. q White Wagtail.

EGGS AND EGG-OOLLEOTING. 87

THE HEN HARRIER.

GameE-preserving has proved a disastrous business to this
bird, and it now only breeds in a few of its old strongholds,
such as Cornwall, Wales, the Highlands, Orkneys, and
Hebrides, where I have met with it. Its nest is composed
of sticks, sprigs of heather, dry grass, and wool, and is
placed upon the ground in deep heather. The eggs number
from four to six, of a pale bluish-white colour, rarely
marked with a few reddish-brown spots.

THE MARSH HARRIER.

Sricxs, reeds, and sedge are the materials used by this bird
for building its nest, which is situated on the ground,
although instances have been reported of it occurring in a
tree. It is said to still breed in Norfolk and the West of
England. The eggs number three or four, sometimes as
many as six, itis said. They are greyish-white, slightly
tinged with light bluish-green, and occasionally marked
with rusty brown.

THE HOBBY.

“Tus bird still breeds in very small numbers in the Mid-
lands and in the Eastern Counties. It selects the old nest
of a Crow, Wood Pigeon, or Magpie, and deposits its three
or four eggs in it without any attempt at nest-building.
The eggs are yellowish-white in ground colour, but this
is almost entirely hidden by the thick marking of reddish-
brown,

88 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

RICHARDSON’S SKUA.

Tux islands lying to the West and North of Scotland, also
parts of the far north of the mainland, are chosen by this
Skua for its breeding quarters. The nest is simply a
slight hollow, sparingly lined with a few bits of withered
grass, and is situated on wild, unfrequented moors and
bog-land. The eggs number two, but upon occasion one
only is found, and sometimes as many as three. They vary
from olive-green to reddish-brown in ground colour,
spotted and blotched with blackish-brown and light grey.
I have seen them harmonise so closely with their surround-
ings that I had a great difficulty in finding them, though
I had marked the whereabouts of the nest within a few feet
through my binoculars.

THE LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL

Low rocky islands are the favourite breeding places of
this Gull, and they are now particularly numerous at
the Farne Islands, where I have seen the eggs lying about
so thickly that the visitor had to exercise great care to
avoid treading upon them. Sometimes quite a large
quantity of seaweed is used in making the nest, at others a
few bits of grass and roots, and in some cases, where bare
peat earth is available, simply a hollow is scratched out.
The eggs as a rule number three, but sometimes only two
are met with. I have seen it stated that the bird occa-
sionally lays four, but out of the hundreds of nests I have
examined I have never had the luck to see that number.
In coloration they vary from pale greyish-green to reddish-
brown, blotched and spotted with blackish- and greyish-

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 89

brown. Sometimes the markings take the form of
streaks, The eggs, although as a rule darker than those
of the Herring Gull, are very difficult to distinguish, and I
have found no safe method short of watching the parent
birds on the nest.

THE GREAT BLAOK-BACKED GULL

Tue flat-topped summits of rocks, stacks, and high mari-
time cliffs are the usual situation for this Gull’s nest ; how-
ever, I have met with it on comparatively low rocky islets
in Highland sea-lochs. It does not breed on the East
Coast of England. Its nest is made of bits of heather,
dead grass, seaweed, and sometimes a few feathers, and
varies in size. The eggs number three, but sometimes only
two are found, greyish-brown or stone colour, tinged with
olive and spotted with blackish-brown and dark grey.

THE BLACK GROUSE.

Tuts bird places its nest amongst deep heather, long grass,
and rushes, ferns, and brambles, in suitable moorland parts
of England, Wales, and Scotland. It is simply a hollow
lined with a few bits of fern, heath, or dead grass. The
eggs number six to ten, or even more, yellowish-white to
buff, spotted with rich reddish-brown. I have generally
found it through putting the hen off her nest,

THE MARSH WARBLER.

A sirvation such as that afforded by a stunted bush over-
grown with weeds and close to water of some kind, chiefly

$0 EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING.

in the southern counties of England, is said to be chosen
by the Marsh Warbler for its nest. It employs grass-
stems and leaves, moss and spiders’ webs, in the construc-
tion of its nest, with an inner lining of horsehair. The
eggs number from five to seven, and vary considerably in
coloration. One type is said to be greenish-white, spotted,
blotched, and marbled with olive-brown, and another
greenish-blue, blotched and spotted with olive-brown
and grey underlying marks. It is a rare and local breeder
with us.

THE SNOW BUNTING.

Tae highest mountain-tops of Scotland and the Shetlands
are patronised by the Snow Bunting during the breeding
season. It makes its nest of withered grass, fine roots, and
moss, and lines it with down, wool, hair, or feathers, and
situates it in crevices of rock or amongst loose stones. The
eggs number from four to eight, but five or six are
generally found, varying from dull white to very light
greenish-blue in ground colour, spotted and blotched with
reddish-brown, and occasionally streaked with blackish-
brown. The markings are most numerous at the larger
end, and the underlying ones are of a light grey and pale
brown.

THE SPOTTED CRAKE,

THE eastern and southern counties of England are the
favourite breeding resorts of this somewhat uncommon
bird. Its nest is large, and made of reeds, sedges, rushes,
and other materials growing in swamps, and is placed on a

9
EGGS.
1. Hoopoe. 2. Red-necked Phalarope.
4. Common Tern. 5. Red-throated Diver.

3. Crested Tit.
6. Black-throated Diver.

er.

7. Lesser Tern.

EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 91

tussock or amongst reeds, the base generally resting in
water. The eggs number eight to ten, and even twelve,
and vary in ground colour from white to buff, the inter-
mediate stages including olive and greenish-white. They
are spotted with reddish-brown of varying shades, and

grey.

THE RED-THROATED DIVER.

I wave seen this bird’s nest in the Outer Hebrides, where
it is fairly common. It also breeds on the mainland of
Scotland and in Ireland. The nest is generally placed
close to the edge of some mountain tarn or loch, and is a
mere depression trodden in the peat earth, sometimes
scantily lined with bits of dead bent or water-weeds. The
eggs number two, of a dark brownish-olive, frequently
greenish, spotted with blackish-brown, and underlying
markings of a lighter character.

THE BLACK-THROATED DIVER.

Tue Black-throated Diver breeds in the Outer Hebrides
and on the mainland of Scotland. Itplaces its nest, which
is made of reeds and aquatic weeds, lined with grass, on
the shingle of mountain-loch shores and small islands.
The eggs number two, dark olive-brown, or buffish-brown,
spotted somewhat sparingly with blackish-brown and
umber-brown. The eggs need careful identification, else
they are likely to be confused with those cf the Red-
throated species.

A
Auk, Little, 69

Bittern, 33
Blackbird, 29
Blackcap, 46
Black Redstart, 62
Blue Tit, 46
Brambling, 63
Bullfinch, 22

Bunting, Blackheaded, 65

» Cirl, 60

»» Common, 56

»» Snow, 90
Buzzard, 60

13]

Capercailzie, 35
Carrion Crow, 44
Chaffinch, 23
Ohiffchaff, 51
Chough, 68
Cirl Bunting, 60
Cole Tit, 68
Coot, 55
Cormorant, 66
Crake, Spotted, 90
Creeper, 66
Crossbill, 32
Crow, Carrion, 44

»» Hooded, 55
QOuckoo, 48

INDEX

——+99——

Curlew, Common, 55
» Stone, 75

D

Dartford Warbler, 61
Dipper, 62
Diver, Red-throated, 91
»» Black-throated, 91
Dotterel, 69
Dove, Ring, 26
» Rock, 69

Duck, Hider, 43

» Wild, 47

», Tufted, 75

», Pintail, 83
Dunlin, 36

E

Eagle, Golden, 43

» White-tailed, 42
Eider Duck, 43

F
Falcon, Gyr, 57
», Peregrine, 69
Fieldfare, 57
Flycatcher, Pied, 36
vs Spotted, 62

@
Gadwall, 75
Gannet, 67
Garden Warbler, 53

94 INDEX

Garganey, 76 Jack Snipe, 57
Golden-crested Wren, 27 Jay, £4
Golden Eagle, 43 K
» Plover, 37 Kestrel, 25
Goldfinch, 21 Kingfisher, 30
Goose, Grey Lag, 73 Kite, 39 :
Goosander, 77 Kiiti k
Goshawk, 73 a
Grasshopper Warbler, 43 L
Grebe, Little, 35 Landrail, 38
», Great Crested, 77 Lapwing, 31
Greenfinch, 28 Lark, Shore, 67
Greenshank, 80 » Sky, 37
Green Woodpecker, 30 »» Wood, 32
Grey Wagtail, 64 Lesser Whitethroat, 4%
Grouse, Red, 25 Linnet, 23
» Black, 89 M
Guillemot, Common, 68 Magpie, 22
” Black, 77 Marsh Tit, 69
Gull, Blackheaded, 50 Martin, House, 51
-» Common, 30 » Sand, 39
» Herring, 44 Meadow Pipit, 35
» Great Black-backed, 89 Merlin, 33
1» Lesser Black-backed, 88 Merganser, Red-breasted. 79
Gyr Falcon, 57 Missel Thrush, 5%
H Moorhen, 31
Harrier, Montagu’s, 86 nH
» Hen, 87 Nightingale, 31
» Marsh, 67 Nightjar, 33
gatjar,
Hawfinch, 61 Nuthatch, 29
Hawk, Kestrel, 25
» Merlin, 33 oO
»» Sparrow, 45 Oriole, Golden, 86
Hedge Sparrow, 5? Osprey, 85
Heron, 49 Ouzel, Ring, 59
Hobby, 87 » Water, 62
Hooded Crow, 56 Owl, Barn, 31
Hoopoe, 84 » Long-eared, 40
House Sparrow, 25 »» Short-eared, 78
J » Tawny, 43
Jackdaw, 25 Oyster-catcher, 68

P
Partridge, 46
* Red-legged, 70
Peregrine Falcon, 64
Petrel, Stormy, 34
» Fulmar, 76
» Leach’s Fork-tailed, 84
Phalarope, Grey, 42
yi Red-necked, 84
Pheasant, 48
Pied Flycatcher, 36
» Wagtail, 48
Pintail Duck, 83
Pipit, Meadow, 35
» Rock, 65
» Tree, 36
Prover, Golden, 37
» Green, 31
» Kentish, 60
» Ringed, 82
Pochard, 62
Ptarmigan, 54
Puffin, 58

Quail, 67

BR

Rail, Land-, 38

» Water, 66
Raven, 23
Razor-bill, 71
Red-backed Shrike, 58
Red-legged Partridge, 70
Redpoll, 26
Redshank, 39

Ring Ouzel, 69
Robin, 26

INDEX

Rock Dove, 69

» Pipit, 6A
Rook, 24
Ruff, 41

8
Sanderling, 70
Sand Martin, 39
Sandpiper, Common, 43
Scoter, 64
Seagull, Common, 30
Shag, 74
Shearwater, Manx, 83
Shieldrake, 40
Shore Lark, 67
Shoveiler, 42
Shrike, Red-backed, 58
Siskin, 27
Skua, Common, 38
», Richardson's, 88
Skylark, 37
Smew, 65
Snipe, Common, 50
» Jack, 57
Sparrowhawk, 45
Sparrow, Hedge, 52
» House, 25
» Tree, 63
Spoonbill, 54
Spotted Flycatcher, 62
Starling, 22
Stint, Little, 39
Stock Dove, 61
Stone-chat, 34
Storm Petrel, 34
Swallow, 44
Swan, Muto, 74
Swift, 50

T
Teal, 29
Tern, Sandwich, 71

95

96

Tern, Arctic, 72
», Common, 72
» Lesser, 72
» Roseate, 82
Thrush, Common, 28
» Missel, 53
Tit, Blue, 46
», Bearded, 82
», Cole, 68
» Great, 29
» Long-tailed, 70
» March, 69
» Crested, 74
Tree Pipit, 36
» Sparrow, 63
Turtle Dove, 66
Twite, 87
WwW
Wagtail, Grey, 64
» Pied, 48
» Yellow, 73
Warbler, Dartford, 61
White, 85
» Blue-headed, 86
» Garden, 53
» Grasshopper, 43

INDEX

Warbler, Marsh, 89
; » Reed, 80
» Sedge, 79
Water Ouzel, 52 1
» Rail, 56
Wheatear, 34
‘Whimbrel, 80
Whinchat, 64
White-tailed Eagle, 42
Whitethroat, 27
” Lesser, 41
Wigeon, 38
Wild Duck, 47
Woodcock, 49
Woodlark, 32
‘Woodpecker, Green, 30
i Great Spotted, 65
_ Lesser Spotted, 78
‘Wood Warbler, 81
Wren, Common, 24
» Golden-crested, 27
» Willow, 79
Wryneck, 27

Y
Yellow-hammer, 56

Paovrep sy Casset & Company, Limirep, La Bettx Savvace, Lospon, B.0.4

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