HEWITSON's "BRITISH OOLOGY." 83 



them : try the experiment, for instance, with those of a Lapwing, 

 This curious species, the Locustelle, approaches, in many ways, to 

 the Pipits and other ground birds, insomuch that the earlier natu- 

 ralists styled it a Lark ; its hind claw is considerably elongated, and 

 there is little doubt that its mode of progression is, as in the Pipits, 

 ambulatory, notwithstanding that the contrary has been asserted. 

 To ascertain this, we have long and patiently watched the birds, 

 but hitherto without success. Like the Pipits, too, it would seem 

 to nidificate upon the ground. Its singular note is sometimes uttered 

 on the wing. The species is by no means uncommon on the heaths 

 around London. 



In the next plate we have four representations ; two eggs of the 

 Garden Fauvet, one of the Blackcapt, and one of the Whitebreasted 

 species. None of these are what we consider to be characteristic : 

 there are now before us a great number of specimens of all three, 

 which exhibit very considerable diversity. Of course it is not 

 meant to be insinuated that Mr. Hewitson's figures are not cor- 

 rectly copied from his specimens, but they certainly are not average 

 examples. Figs. 1 and 3 (the latter meant to represent the Black- 

 cap's) approximate to the ordinary aspect of the Garden Fauvet's 

 egg, only the markings should have a longitudinal tendency. Ge- 

 nerally speaking, the Garden Fauvet's egg exhibits confluent spots 

 of pale cinereous, and dirty brown, upon a dull white ground, hav- 

 ing rather what may be called a smear?/ appearance. The brown 

 is very rarely so dark as it is here represented. Fig. 2 is a peculiar 

 variety, dissimilar from any we have ever met with. We have 

 some in which the ground colour is very clear, with the spots dis- 

 tinctly marked, and chiefly at the large end, where they incline to 

 form a zone ; in short, very like an average egg of F. garrula. In 

 another the spots are small and reddish brown, without any ash- 

 colour markings. The Blackcap's eggs are commonly of a richer 

 tint, which, however, varies greatly ; an average specimen has 

 much more brown in it than Mr. Hewitson's figure. The lighter 

 markings generally blend with the ground tint, and there are 

 mostly a few scattered dark spots. We possess them of every shade, 

 from pale flesh colour to very deep reddish flesh colour, and to dark 

 sienna brown ; the ground tint being very seldom clear. We have 

 specimens of the Whitebreasted Fauvet's eggs shewing considerable 

 diversity, but not equal to those of the preceding ; the ground co- 

 lour is always clear, as remarked by Hewitson, and the markings 

 are chiefly confined to the large end, appearing in some as minute 

 dots, in others as ill-defined blotches. The figure is rather that 



