CHARADRIIDAE— SCOLOPACIDAE. 



Among the eggs of L. limosa and N. arquata there are likewise 

 some that converge more or less in colour as well as in the nature 

 of their markings, hi my opinion, at any rate, a closer oological 

 relationship exists between these species mutually than between 

 either of the two and other Scolopacidae, although points of agree- 

 ment with pugnax-eggs are not lacking. 



A marking consisting partly of short lines, curls and scrawls, 

 occurs not infrequently among eggs of H. ostralegus, V. vanellus, 

 P. piignax and in those of the genus Aegialites. In those of 

 H. ostralegus, but particularly in those of Aeg. alexandrinns, the 

 real vein- {■= ,emberiza-") marking often occurs. 



The ,veil" {■= a thin layer of carbonate of lime [-f keratin, an 

 albuminoid] finally deposited over the whole surface of the egg, 

 which is otherwise normally coloured and marked, and which thereby 

 acquires a bluish grey aspect) is found, amongst others, sometimes 

 in the eggs of L. limosa and frequently in those of T. totanus. 



Altum ') assumed that in the eggs of Charadriidac, Scolopacidae 

 and others the ground colour and the spots are from one and the 

 same pigment. According to Krukenberg -), on the other hand, in 

 those eggs of the said Families which have a yellowish or brownish 

 ground colour, the latter may almost certainly be attributed to 

 oochlorine, the colour of the spots however to oorhodeine. 



Finally, I wish here to point to the affinity of the Charadriidac 

 and Scolopacidae to the Laridae and Sternidae which is so conspi- 



') Journ. f. Ornith. 1863, p. 339 et seq. and do. 1864, p. 23 et seq. 

 -) Die Farbstoffe der VogeleierschalL'ii, in : Verh. d. pliys.-med. Gesellsch. 

 N. F. XVU. Bd. p. 119. 



