NESTS AND EGGS. 389 
When a bird has prepared its nest, the young mother must be 
much surprised, after the trouble she has borne, to find in her nest, 
instead of a delicate little chick resembling herself, an inanimate 
spheroid, which can say nothing. She has brought into the world 
a sort of ball, white like chalk, or light blue like turquoise, or 
perhaps it may be red, and streaked like mahogany, or dotted 
and veined like marble or agate. An egg is not a bird, any more 
than a grain is a tree ; it is something antecedent, something which 
contains the rudiments of an animal; but which, as yet, shows no 
signs of life; resembling a mineral production, rather than an 
organic germ. The instinct of the mother comes to the help of 
her inexperience. She attaches herself to this inanimate body with 
a devotion that we do not and cannot understand. Is it maternal 
affection ? certainly not. It isa kindred feeling very nearly related 
to it, and possibly preliminary to it, but certainly different. 
Maternal love does not exist yet, it will come later, and will be first 
felt when the little ones are hatched. This attachment to their 
eggs, induces the birds to remain seated on these peculiar pro- 
ductions, and to keep them warm. They press these stones to their 
hearts. When parents are hatching for the first time, do they 
know what the results of their long incubation will be? Doubtless 
the thought never troubles them, for instinct is their director and 
motive power. The female and, what is still more astonishing, 
the male, may actually be seen to forget to eat and drink, so 
great is their love for an egg. During the time the sea-swallow 
is sitting on her eggs, her mate comes from time to time, and 
rests near the nest. There he disgorges a little fish within reach 
of his partner, he then looks at her tenderly, the pair make 
various inclinations of the head, sometimes, rather singular move- 
ments, but no doubt in this manner they assure each other of 
their tender affection, and their happy content. 
The development of the young bird is not a mystery ; for if a 
number of eggs, in different stages of incubation, have their shells 
delicately broken, the process is easily seen. At the commence- 
ment of incubation the ball of yolk is surrounded by a thick layer 
of albumen, which is enclosed first in a skin, and then in the 
calcareous shell. This yolk or vtellus is suspended by two 
