200 Shufeldt, Study of Birds' Eggs. [isf"lan 



collected rare sets of Bald-headed Eagles' eggs, it is not sur- 

 prising that he has overlooked some of the Warblers ! 



Among the eggs of the South American birds — of which there 

 are 68 species in all represented — we note a set (i) of the Upland 

 Goose {Chloephaga magellanica), the Fork-tailed Flycatcher 

 {Mitscivgra tyranmis), Crotophaga ant, and the Guira {Guira giiira). 

 Those of the Guira are so extraordinary in appearance that they 

 attract the eye above all others in the large trayful in which 

 they are placed. The eggs of the Goose and Flycatcher named 

 are rare in collections. 



The eggs of the birds of Europe are represented by many sets 

 of both land and water birds, and, although there are a thousand 

 species or more, there are none of very decided rarity. The 

 Vultures are very rich, and we find sets of Neophron percnopterus, 

 Vnltiir cinereus and V. monachus, and Gyps fidviis and others. 

 An egg of Otis tarda is also here, collected in Roumania. 



In one of the trays two sets (each i) of very small, unmarked 

 eggs interested me. They catch the eye at once. Both are of a 

 bright brick-red — one set being very highly glossed, and the other 

 not at all. They are eggs of Warblers — the last-named being 

 those of Cettia ccttia, from Spain, and the other set Cettia cnnfanns, 

 from Japan. In all particulars they are alike, except that those 

 of the Japanese Warbler are highly glossy. 



Mr. Court's collection of the eggs of Australian birds has no 

 equal in this country. As we pass the singles and the sets in 

 review we meet with rarity after rarity, until one almost feels 

 that he is in one of the museums in Australia, and studying a 

 national collection. Some of these I show in the figures accom- 

 panying this paper, and to them the reader is referred for descrip- 

 tions. Running through the trays at random we meet with eggs 

 of the remarkable Victoria Lyre-Bird {Menura victorice), the Aus- 

 tralian Bustard (Eupodotis aiistralis), sets (|) of the Australian 

 Wedge-tailed Eagle [Uroactus aiidax), the Regent-Bird {\) {Sericulus 

 chrysocephalus), the very rare egg in collections of the Spotted 

 Cat-Bird {Mliircedus macidosus), and one of the White Tern 

 {Gygis alba). Both of these will be found among my illustrations. 

 Rare, also, are the eggs (^) of the Australian Comb-crested Jacana 

 (Hydralector gallinaceus), and, without exception, they certainly 

 are the most beautiful objects I have ever seen in the way of a 

 bird's egg. I found it almost impossible to photograph them on 

 account of the unequalled high polish to the surface of one and 

 all of them. Any light admitted produced an intense brilliant 

 point on the egg at once, and this photographed pure white. I 

 was greatly disappointed, for they are truly most wonderful 

 objects to behold. 



There are eggs of two species of Oyster-catchers, for which see 

 Plate XVIII. herewith, and, unfigured, another rarity {\) — eggs of 

 the Mallee-Fowl or Mound-builder {Lipoa ocellata). No fewer than 

 seven sets are found of the Rufous-breasted Thickhead (Pachy- 

 cephala ru/iventris), one set being light terra-cotta coloured. 



