THEIR REPRODUCTION (EGGS) 299 



charge for a brief interval they are careful to 

 strew leaves and withered herbage over them. 

 So also does the Little Grebe, for example, the 

 rapidity with which it can cover up its eggs when 

 leaving them in a hurry being simply marvel- 

 lous ! The Short-eared Owl lays her white eggs 

 on the open fens and marshes, but she carefully 

 shields them from view by her own inconspicu- 

 ous brown dress, and is a most persistent sitter, 

 only leaving her charge when absolutely com- 

 pelled. The Pigeons again all lay white eggs, 

 and the majority of species incubate them in flat 

 open nests. Here again, these nests are not only 

 very inconspicuous, but generally placed amongst 

 dense foliage — ivy in particular — and the birds 

 themselves are excessively wary during the period 

 of incubation. Then we must remember that 

 Pigeons are not only an abundant but very 

 widely dispersed group, especially in islands, 

 where enemies are few or absent, and these facts 

 surely indicate an immunity from danger or 

 special means of eluding it. The larger birds, 

 such as the Herons, Cormorants, and Storks, 

 which lay unspotted eggs in big flat open nests, 

 are equally safe from all ordinary enemies, for 

 they are quite strong enough to protect their 

 eggs from danger, and often breed in societies. 



