EGGS OF BEITISH BIRDS. 179 



British bird. They are of a beautiful clear greenish-blue, marked 

 with small spots of a deep rich brown approaching to black. Eggs 

 of this bird vary considerably, both in size and markings. Many 

 eggs (doubtless the production of the older birds) are exception- 

 ally large ; others more resemble the Redwing's in size. Some 

 eggs (though these are rare) are spotless ; others are very richly 

 spotted and blotched with reddish-brown and various tints of 

 purplish -grey. Eggs that are boldly blotched never have the 

 colouring-matter so intense as those on which the markings are 

 small. They vary in length from 1"16 to 0'95 inch, and from 09 

 to 0'7 inch in breadth. 



THE REDWING. 

 (Turdus iliacus.) 



Plate 50, Figs. 5, 8. 



The Redwing is a regular winter visitant to Great Britain and 

 Ireland. Its principal breeding-range is at or near the Arctic 

 circle throughout the Pala3arctic region, though it appears to 

 become very rare east of the Yenisei river. 



The nest is neatly made, and somewhat resembles that of the 

 Ring Ouzel, though it is smaller and perhaps more firmly put 

 together. 



The eggs of the Redwing are from four to six in number, most 

 frequently the former, and cannot easily be confounded with the 

 eggs of the other British Thrushes, on account of their smaller 

 size. The streaks or spots generally almost hide the ground- 

 colour, and are evenly distributed over the entire surface. The 

 usual colour is a pale bluish-green, thickly marbled over the 

 entire surface with greenish-brown. Some specimens have the 

 spots dispersed in irregular streaks and blotches, like miniature 

 Blackbird's eggs ; in others the ground-colour is almost clear, 

 except at the large end of the egg, where a zone is formed of 

 confluent brown spots ; whilst others are almost clear pea-green, 

 devoid of all markings. They vary but little in size or shape, 

 and are never large enough to be mistaken for small specimens 

 of the other eggs of this group of birds, which they resemble in 

 colour. They vary in length from 11 to 0'9 inch, and in breadth, 

 from Q'8 to 0'7 inch, 



