132 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[June 1, 1870. 



to whether their shamrock is derived from a series 

 of Trifolium, or from Oxalis acetosella. The ancient 

 Britons, as the Welsh call themselves, have adopted 

 the leek, Allium Porrum, a native of Switzerland. — 

 Scottish Farmer. 



EGGS OE BIRD PARASITES. 



THE eggs of insects have long been favourite 

 objects for the microscope ; and those who 

 possess a fair series of them will acknowledge that 



face of the feathers, they actually appear like some 

 new species of sea-mat. 



The strangely-formed eggs found on the Australian 

 Crane are arranged in a similar manner, and a slide 

 containing several rows of these eggs is a fine sight 

 under the microscope. 



On one species of Crowned Crane (Balearica) are 

 found eggs having a thick calcareous wall ; being 

 covered, as it were, with little white domes. Each 

 of these projections appears to be deposited around, 

 and supported by, a short spine proceeding from the 



Eig. 130. Eggs of Bird Parasites. 



A. Ovum of a Nirmus, x 50. 



B. Australian MaUee-bird, x 60. 



C. Black-winged Peacock, x 60. 



D. Crowned Crane, x 60. 



E. Bohemian Pheasant, x 45. 



F. Australian Crane, x 30. 



G. Ground Hornbill, x 60. 

 H. Ground Hornbill, x 38. 



I. Temminck's Tragopan, x 45. 

 K. Golden Pheasant, x 50. 



they well deserve the admiration they have excited. 

 It is, however, among the little bird parasites 

 (Mallophaga) that are found the most extraordinary 

 and apparently fantastic structures. 



The eggs of one of the species which infest the 

 Ground Hornbill so much resemble the cells of some 

 of the Polyzoa, that, deposited as they are, in close 

 contact, one above another and in many parallel 

 lines, between the flattened barbs on the inner sur- 



chitinous shell of the egg, and terminated by a sub- 

 quadrate, peltate disk. The transparent tube, 

 forming the opening at the summit of the egg, and 

 the sunk operculum, bearing a little central tassel 

 of curved and clavate spines, are characters unlike 

 those of any other parasitic egg with which I am 

 acquainted. 



The egg of a parasite of the Australian Mallee- 

 bird resembles somewhat in figure the ripe fruit of 



