84 HEWITSON'S "BRITISH OOLOGY." 



of a variety ; and altogether we should by no means select this 

 plate as a favourable example of the work. 



Mr. Hewitson describes the variation to which the above eggs 

 are subject, and very judiciously observes that " there is so very 

 close and admirable an approximation between the nests and eggs 

 of these three birds, that any one, without having seen the birds 

 themselves, would, without hesitation, place them together in the 

 same genus." In like manner, we may add, is the propriety of 

 generically separating the Pied and Grey Flycatchers of authors 

 distinctly indicated by the diversity of their nests and eggs. 

 " Shewing how very necessary it is," continues our author, " in the 

 classification of birds, to pay some attention to their nests and 

 eggs, and how very much knowledge, and pleasing and convincing 

 proof and assistance, might be gained by so doing." 



The following plate presents two eggs of the Goldencrowned 

 Kinglet, and one of the Common Wren : both are exquisitely repre- 

 sented. Those of the Kinglet may be said to exemplify the ex- 

 tremes of variation ; but we should liked to have seen also a third, 

 exhibiting its more ordinary aspect. Judging from the great number 

 we have at different times seen, and the collection at present be- 

 fore us, we should say that the usual appearance of the egg of this 

 species is dull white and spotless, but with a brownish tinge at the 

 large end; or the spots may be said to be only just distinguishable 

 on very close inspection. We have one, a yolkless specimen, about 

 one third the ordinary size, and have heard of others resembling it. 

 Not long ago, we saw an egg of the Fiery crowned Kinglet, which 

 closely resembles that of R. auricapillus , save in being a trifle 

 longer ; it was not, however, a British specimen. The Common 

 Wren's is a very beautiful egg, pure white, with often hardly a speck 

 discoverable ; generally, however, there are numerous minute dots 

 at the large end. We observed a Wren this season, sitting on seven 

 eggs, which were very darkly spotted ; but, as they were on the 

 point of hatching, a specimen was not obtained. They greatly re- 

 sembled, except in size, and in being more thickly spotted at the 

 large end, Mr. Hewitson's fig. 1 of that of the Great Tit. 



We have next four figures of eggs ; two of the Great Tit, one of 

 its congener, the Cole Tit, and one of the Bearded Pinnock, still 

 absurdly classed, by many writers, in Parus, the impropriety of 

 which is sufficiently shewn even in the egg, and particularly in its 

 diverse nidification. The figures of the Great Tit's egg are charac- 

 teristic ; we have some much less distinctly marked, and others 

 more so, than either, but, tout ensemble, are very well satisfied with 



