PICIDAE. 



brought to him, I consider the view that this is manifestly an 

 instance of confusion with eggs of Sturnus vulgaris, containing very 

 little oocyan, to be open to doubt and not least of all on account 

 of his authority; for it is by no means excluded that in the case 

 of Picidae-eggs a green discoloration of the shell may be caused, 

 for instance by fungi. 



The texture of the shell *) of the genus Jynx is very closely 

 allied to that of the Picinae, so that torquilla-eggs are difficult to 

 distinguish from eggs of equal size of D. minor; the granulation 

 may be said to be rather closer whilst the eggs, as regards shape, 

 are usually more oblong, and further, slightly less glossy than 

 minor-eggs. 



*) The difference in texture of minor- and torquilla-eggs is most clearly 

 visible when pure prepared eggs are filled with water that has been coloured 

 crimson by means of carmine-cinnabar. 



