ON THE PLUMAGE, NEST, AND EGGS, &C. 259 



father and mother are nestling together, the gentleman, with 

 more worldly wisdom than politeness, like a supernumerary 

 beggar in a "spare bed," accommodates himself in the best 

 possible manner, to the lack of room, by squatting with his 

 hinder parts (I crave pardon, his caudal extremity, I should have 

 said) in close acquaintance with his partner's pate. In such 

 homely fashion, I have, on sundry occasions, seen the long tail of 

 one of the proprietors poking out from the nest of the bottle- tit. 



Selby writes that the eggs of this little creature are ten or 

 twelve, — Fleming, nine to twelve in number. Temminck 

 ("Manuel d'Ornithologie," p. 297) represents them as amounting 

 to fifteen. Montagu (" Ornithological Dictionary," by Rennie, 

 p. 52) has heard of more than twenty being discovered; but 

 never saw more than twelve. Knapp (" Journal of a Naturalist," 

 third edition, p. 165) "remembers finding fourteen or sixteen 

 pea-like eggs," in little long-tail's nest " and many more were 

 reported to have been found." Mudie ("British Naturalist," 

 V. ii. p. 317) merely mentions that the eggs are numerous. In 

 by-gone days, I have repeatedly counted fifteen eggs ; once or 

 twice, eighteen ; and, on one occasion, nineteen, in what was then 

 familiarly called, by Warwickshire boors, the Jug's nest. 



Alas! poor Montagu! What a most woeful figure does his 

 Ornithological Dictionary (excellent for the days wherein it was 

 written) cut in the claws of the rapacious Butcher-bird (Lanius 

 prwdatorius, haud equidem frvgilegus* — I am but a sorry Latin 

 scholar forsooth), of King's College. Yet the hapless Colonel 

 does not stand alone in his misfortunes. Let us glance around ; 

 and we shall verily, on all sides, behold birds of every tribe and 



* Most of my readers are, probably, aware that the common rook has been 

 named, by Linnaeus, Corvns frugilegus. Now this said Latin term, frugilegus, 

 means, in plain English, corn-gathering : and, as a specific designation, is not 

 mightily applicable to the rook, rather a general feeder, and not over-nice respecting 

 the quality, if the quantity of victuals be enough. Professor Rennie, aware of the 

 impropriety of the term, proposes to substitute for it the epithet prcedatoridut 

 (vide " Ornithological Dictionary," Introduction, p. vi.) But this does not mend 

 the matter one whit; for are not the raven, the carrion-crow, and the "lawyer 

 jack-daw," as much given to prey as their cousin, the rook ? Is it not invidious, or 

 does it not. in fact, savour of libel, to specially stigmati/e, as a plunderer, one 

 member of the crow family, or, in truth, any other family, when all are thieves 

 alike. In my humble opinion, moreover, the distinctive (or specific, as they are 

 scientifically named,) titles of animals should be derived, not from their habits, 

 which are liable to change with the circumstances v\ herein they are placed; but from 

 some notable and unchanging peculiarity of external stiucture or character. The 

 " conveyancer rook" is mainly distinguished from its next-door neighbour, "coun- 

 sellor crow," by having the base of the bill white, scurfy, and hare of feathers^—. 

 a condition probably intended to facilitate the operations of the bird in grubbing for 

 the larvae of the cock-chaffer, which lie deep in the ground ; and among which, like 

 the portly alderman, feasting on oysters, it makes, during the year, terrible havoc. 

 "Why, therefore, not distinguish the rook from its congeners by the title, bare- 

 beaked'^ aye, Corvns nudirostris, just the thing ! or, if you would fain have it from 

 a more learned source, here it is ready for you, in what Dr. Parr would have 

 facetiously called a very fair specimen of " Brummagem Greek," CorvUrS gymno^ 

 rynchus [f/vfAvot, bare or naked, fvyx"'* beak), — the bare-faced crow. 



