194 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF 



spring. The nests are either made upon the ground — 

 as is almost always the case at the Horster Meer in 

 Holland — or upon low willow or alder bushes, or, as in 

 India, on the summits of lofty trees. When in a tree 

 the nest is much larger and more compact than when 

 made amongst tussocks of grass upon the ground. In 

 the latter situation the nest is made of a few sticks and 

 quantities of dead reeds, and lined with dry grass ; but 

 when in bushes or trees it is a large pile of sticks, some- 

 times as much as a yard across and a foot in height. 

 The cavity containing the eggs, in these latter nests, is 

 shallow, and generally lined with dry grass. When dis- 

 turbed at the nests the old birds rise and wheel silently 

 about above the place, many of them flying right away 

 without any further demonstration. 



Range of egg colouration and measurement : 

 The eggs of the Spoonbill are four or five in number, 

 generally the former. They are coarse and chalky in 

 grain, without polish, and white in ground colour, some- 

 what sparingly spotted and blotted with reddish-brown, 

 and with a few underlying markings of pale gray. They 

 vary considerably in shape and colour, some being oval, 

 others round, others pyriform. On some eggs the spots 

 are small and streaky, and distributed here and there 

 over the entire surface ; on others the markings are 

 congregated in a zone round the larger end ; others 

 have a few blurred blotches amongst the smaller spots 

 and short streaks. Average measurement, 2-5 inches in 

 length, by i'8 inch in breadth. The duration of the 

 incubation period is unknown, as is also the sex which 

 performs the task. 



Diagnostic characters : The chalky grain, white 

 ground colour, and brown markings readily distinguish 

 the eggs of the Spoonbill from those of all other 

 European species. 



