EGGS OF BEITISH BIRDS. 67 



the small end almost as blunt as the large end ; they scarcely vary 

 in shape from typical eggs of the Cormorant, whilst others are so 

 round that they might easily be passed off by unprincipled dealers 

 as eggs of the Kite. They are dull chalky-white in ground- 

 colour, sparingly spotted and blotched with small spots or short 

 streaks, and occasionally large smudged blotches, principally at 

 the large end, of reddish-brown. Occasionally a few grey under- 

 lying spots are observable ; and sometimes the surface-markings 

 form a zone round the large end of the egg. They vary in length 

 from 29 to 22 inches, and in breadth from 1'9 to 17 inch. 



THE GLOSSY IBIS. 



(Ibis falcinellus.)* 



Plate 17. Fig. 6. 



The Glossy Ibis is an accidental visitor, principally on autumn 

 migration, to our islands, especially to the southern and eastern 

 counties of England. The geographical distribution of this species 

 is very similar to that of the Spoonbill, but its breeding-colonies 

 are more isolated, and it extends further south to the Malay 

 Archipelago, the Moluccas and Australia. It also occurs in the 

 Eastern United States. 



The nests are made of sticks and reeds ; but whether they are 

 built on the radius model of the Egret, or on the arc model of 

 the Cormorant, I cannot say. The eggs are said to be three, 

 and occasionally four, in number. They are dark greenish-blue 

 in colour, rather rough in texture, and the shell is finely pitted 

 with small pores. They vary in length from 2 - 2 to 2'0 inches, 

 and in breadth from 1/55 to 1/38 inch. The eggs of the Ibis 

 cannot well be confused with those of any other European bird ; 

 they are readily distinguished from those of the Herons by their 

 much darker blue colour and less chalky appearance. 



THE WHITE STOKK. 

 (Ciconia alba.)\ 



Plate 18, Fig. 4. 



It is not known that the White Stork has ever bred in the 

 British Islands, but it occasionally visits them, either singly or 



* Plegadis falcinellus — Saunders, Manual, p. 379; Sharpe, Handb., III., p. 104. 

 f Ciconia ciconia (Linn.) — Sharpe, Handb., III., p. 97. 



