Number of Eggs Laid 141 
Some years later I met with a second nest with four eggs as 
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recorded by Colonel Irby, but the old fable as to two eggs only 
died hard and has been repeated in the most recent books. 
After Colonel Irby’s book appeared I on several occasions found 
Bustards’ nests with three eggs, not four, sometimes considerably 
incubated but it was not until last year that after a long interval 
I chanced to be among the Bustards at the right time. In May, 
1907, in one beanfield I came across no fewer than four nests 
containing respectively four, three, three, and two eggs. The beans 
were being harvested and the country folk, as usual, were taking 
every Bustard’s egg that was fit to eat. At my request they left 
these nests for me to see. The set of four were somewhat 
incubated, as were one of the sets of three, the remainder being 
quite fresh. The photograph here given is of a nest which con- 
tained three eggs. Unluckily my horse trod upon one as I came 
upon the nest. 
But what is absolutely conclusive as to Bustards laying at any 
rate three eggs is that out of a variety of nests with three egys | 
have from time to time inspected, not only has the ground colour 
and general tints and distribution of markings of the eggs forming 
each particular set been alike but the ¢éexture (if I may use the 
word) of the surface of the eggs has been recognizable almost at a 
glance by anyone who had made eggs a study. In other words, 
it has been perfectly simple to pick out the eggs belonging to a 
series of sets and to place them in their own proper groups. In 
g 
the case in point I had marked in pencil on each separate set of four, 
three, three and two, and then got a friend to “shuffle” the twelve 
eggs and place them with the marks downwards, after which I pro- 
ceeded to pick out the various sets without the slightest trouble. 
The set of four which I found in 1907 were of peculiar interest 
since three out of the four had their shells covered with small 
excrescences. In addition to this these three were exactly alike 
