422 On Indian Birds' Eggs. 



and Hedge-Sparrows [Accentorina). Now the only sub- 

 division which calls for remark is the last but one, viz., the 

 Dippers. Everyone knows what a common Thrush's or 

 Blackbird's egg is like, and to these two types all those of the 

 normal Tnrdidte bear some relation, the most aberrant being 

 those of certain Bush-Chafs and Fork-tails. The Dippers, 

 however, lay pure white eggs, rather long in shape, and of a 

 beautiful, smooth texture. This subfamily should probably 

 be raised to the rank of a family. If we take the other 

 subfamilies in detail we shall find that the only one calling 

 for comment is the Ruticillinae . Here we have a marvellous 

 variety of colouring in the mottled eggs of the Fork-tails, the 

 salmon-coloured of A' otodela, the blue of Tarsiger and others, 

 the olive-brown of the Nightingale, and the green of the 

 Dayal and Sliama. 



Even here, hoAvever, the extremes have some connecting 

 links with one another, and in no case do we find a white, 

 or nearl}' white, egg. 



The family Ploceidce calls for a few remarks. All Indian 

 species of both the subfamilies — Weaver-birds {Phceime) 

 and Munias [Vididnce) — lay white eggs, except the genus 

 Ploceella, which has them sometimes pure white, but more 

 often greyish or purplish grey in ground-colour, more or 

 less marked with dark shades of brown. 



The family FringilHdce, again, may be passed over without 

 comment, the three subfamilies which it contains, viz., the 

 Grosbeaks (Coccothr-austince) , the Finches [FringiUina) , and 

 the Buntings {Emherizino'^, all laying eggs very typical of 

 their kind. Nevertheless, in the second subfamily they 

 range from the sparsely-marked Goldfinch's egg to the 

 densely-marked Sparrow's. 



The Swallows {Hirundinidae) call for no notice; they lay 

 either white or more or less spotted eggs, while certain 

 forms, such as the Cliff- Swallows, lay eggs Avhich are some- 

 times of one description and sometimes of the other. 



The Wagtails [MotacUl'nhe) and the Larks {Alaud'idce) 

 shew their very close connexion with one another in their 

 nidification quite as much as in other respects, and throughout 

 the two families the resemblance of the eggs is very strong. 



