Birds'' Eggs in the Transvaal Museum. It) 



4. Two eggs : Jan. 1906. Grahanistown, Cape (Colony : 



e coll. R. H. Ivy. 

 In shape these Starlings' eggs vary a good deal, some 

 being much more elongated and tapering than others ; the 

 texture is smooth and the surface not very glossy. 



Colour. The ground-colour is a very pale greenish-blue, 

 sparsely spotted with superficial markings of varying shades 

 of brown and reddish-brown and Avith sub-surface markings 

 of slate and drab. 



Sizes. Max. length 37'0 mm. 



Min. „ 31-8 



Mean „ (of 7) 34-07 „ 

 • Max. breadth 25-2 

 Min. „ 22'G 



Mean „ (of 7) 23-90 ,. 

 The Cuckoo's egg is somewhat similar to the Starling's 

 eggs, but the ground-colour is greener and the spots, which 

 are more profusely and evenly distributed, are of a more 

 olive paler brown. 

 Size. 32-8 x 26-2 mm. 



9. Si'REO BicoLOR (Gm.). (Picd Starling.) 

 A considerable number of clutches, of which I shall only 

 describe two. 



1. Clutch 5 : 2^. 9. 00. Howick, Natal : e coll. Austin 



Roberts. 



2. Clutch 6: Nov. 1896. Grahanistown, Cape Colony: 



e coll. R. H. Ivy. 



Shape a tapering oval ; texture smooth ; surface in clutch 1 

 glossy, in clutch 2 duller. 



In clutch 1 the ground-colour is a warm bluish-green ; 

 two eggs are without spots, the other three have a few 

 superficial splashes of pale brown. 



In clutch 2 one egg is much larger, pure white, and un- 

 spotted, and may be a Cuckoo's of some kind ; the remaining 

 five are of the same ground-colour as in clutch 1, and two 

 are unspotted, three having a few spots similar to those in 

 clutch 1. 



