xiv CONTENTS 



PAGE 



the Ant Thrushes — Of the Lyre Birds — Nest of 

 the Hammer-Head — Nests of the Mound Birds — 

 Of the Brush Turkeys — Of certain Coursers — Of 

 the Rails, Ducks, and Geese — Of the Flamingoes 

 — The utility of nests — The nest in relation to the 

 colour of the plumage — Instinct or imitation in 

 nest-building . . . . . . 245-276 



CHAPTER VIII 



THEIR REPRODUCTION (eGGS) 



Eggs — The development of the shell — The deposition 

 of the colour pigments — The shape of the mark- 

 ings — How formed — The two types of markings — 

 Their distribution — General resemblances amongst 

 eggs of the same species — Exceptions — Composi- 

 tion of the colour pigments — The incubation of 

 the egg — Incubation periods in the various avine 

 orders — The incubating sex — The texture or grain 

 of the egg-shell — The colour of the interior of the 

 shell — The form of eggs — The size of eggs — The 

 number of eggs produced by species in the various 

 groups — The colours of eggs — Generic types of 

 eggs — Variation in the colour of eggs in the same 

 species — Of the Guillemot — Of the Cuckoo — 

 Uniformity of colour in other groups — The colours 

 of eggs hereditary — Eggs of hybrids — The ances- 

 tral colour of eggs — The utility of colour — White 

 eggs in covered nests — In open nests — Spotted 

 eggs in open nests — In covered nests — The pro- 

 tective colouration of newly hatched birds . 277-304 



