SoA/E Remarkable Nests and Eggs. 8 



spotted, blotched, and streaked witli black, dusky- 

 brown, greyish- brown and other tints, but each of 

 these varieties is produced by a different bird, which 

 goes on producing similarly tinted eggs if any 

 accident should happen to the lirst or second laid. 

 The gatherers of sea-birds' eggs at Speaton Cliffs, 

 near Flamborouo'h, in Yorkshire, asserted this a lono- 

 while ago ; and Avhilst ray brother and I were at 

 St. Kilda I asked the fowlers there if this coincided 

 with their experience, and they answered that it did : 

 and during our stay on the island I had an oppor- 

 tunity of contirming the stateiiient for myself. 



A strange thino- about the eofo-s of the House 

 and Tree Sparrows is that one in each clutch is 

 generally covered with much bolder markings than 

 the rest. 



The number of eggs laid by birds of different 

 species varies very considerably, in accordance with 

 the food supply procurable for the cliicks, their 

 habits, and their defensive capacity. 



The Petrels, Puffin, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, 

 and Gannet lay a single Qg\x, ; the Pigeons two ; Lap- 

 wing, Golden Plover, Snipe, Connnon Curlew, and 

 other members of the wading-bird family, four. 

 The great majority of birds do not lay a Hxed 

 number of eggs. Eagles vary from one to four, 

 but generally have two ; Gulls two to three, some- 

 times four ; Ducks live or six to from eight to 

 lifteen or sixteen: Tits five or six to ten or a dozen: 

 Partridges ten to eighteen or twenty — indeed, as 



