ARDEIDAE. 



grey specks (on the plate they are even spots) of course took 

 accessory specks to be pigment specks. 



According to Ickert ') the earliest clutches of older birds and 

 the eggs of those of younger birds are distinguished by a greater 

 size (about 1 centimetre) and a less pure bluish green colour; 

 elongated biconical eggs found in April are said to be after-sets 

 of older female birds. 



BOTAURUS STELLARIS (L.). 



In the s/e//ans-eggshell, all lime layers underlying the surface 

 pigment layer, are tinged with bluish green by oocyanin; the glu- 

 tinous (uppermost) layer modifies the shade of the surface colour 

 considerably, and the latter is only visible here and there in little 

 patches that are devoid of gluten. 



E. W. Wade states ^) to have found two clutches in Holland, 

 respecting which he says: „In two clutches we saw, the eggs were 

 , marked, the one with small reddish-brown speckles, generally 

 „more numerous about the large end, the other with dull spots and 

 „blotches of olive-brown, especially marked about the ends of two 

 „of the eggs". 



It is not excluded, 1 think, that in the one case these may have 

 been blood-spots, and, in the other, accidental local concretions 

 of surface pigment (i. e. pigment not distributed evenly), therefore 

 in neither of the two cases spots in the ordinary sense of the word. 

 For the rest, 1 refer to Dr. Rey's letter quoted above under Ardea 

 cinerca. 



1) Zeitschr. f. Ool. (Hockc) 6. Jahrg., p. 10-11. 

 -) „British Birds", Vol. I, p. 334. 



