Their Eggs and Nests. 57 



in mentioning birds' merry-thoughts, and that it may 

 have something to do with such a book as this, and 

 its subject. 



We have already agreed that classification is a use- 

 ful and necessary thing ; that nature herself leads us 

 to it, and shows us how to fashion and contrive it ; 

 nay, that the very eggs of birds are, speaking gener- 

 ally, such in their shape and markings as often to 

 suggest the formation of a group out of such and such 

 different species producing them. But the merry- 

 thoughts and the bones they are immediately connected 

 with, the keel-like breast-bone and the side and wing 

 bones,^ will be found to do the same thing, with 

 respect to the collection of three or four (or more) 

 such groups of birds, as I have just called them, into 

 what is termed a Family. Thus, if our readers could 

 get the opportunity of looking at the merry-thoughts 

 and breast-bones of half-a-dozen different Hawks, they 

 would find, with a degree of variation, according to 

 the various species selected, a very obvious and 

 striking correspondence or resemblance. The breast- 

 bone, in every case, would show great depth of keel 

 and strength of substance ; and the merry-thoughts 

 would be seen to be firm and strong, and of great or 

 considerable substance. Next, if the corresponding 

 bones of about the same number of birds of the Owl- 

 kind {SirigidcB) were taken and compared with those 



1 1 don't give the scientific names of these bones, for obvious 

 reasons. A very excellent book on " The Structure and Life of 

 Birds," by Mr. F. W. Headley, of Haileybury College, has lately 

 been published, which cannot but be helpful to any student of birds. 

 (Macniillan & Co.) 



