150 THE STORY OF BIRD-LIFE. 



and branches of the tree that it became difl&cult 

 of detection and so escaped destruction. The 

 more successful of these survive to-day. Thus 

 may we briefly trace the evolution of the bird's 



nest. 



CHAPTER YIII. 



FAMILY CARES — NURSERY DUTIES. 



From the nest we very naturally pass to a con- 

 sideration of the eggs contained therein. 



Mr Alfred Russel Wallace has endeavoured 

 to show that female birds, which are brilliantly 

 coloured like their mates, lay their eggs in holes 

 or build domed nests. This they do for the 

 purposes of concealment, and of hiding their 

 gay dresses. Female birds of a sombre hue — 

 though the male may be briUiant — do not lay in 

 holes or build domed nests. Their dull plumage 

 effectually protects them by causing them to 

 assimilate with surrounding objects. Mr Darwin 

 who analyzed this hypothesis has pointed out 

 many objections thereto. 



Mr Wallace has also endeavoured to show that 

 birds which lay white eggs lay them in holes 

 or concealed nests, or, in other words, adopt 

 precisely the same tactics as they would if blessed 

 or cursed with brilliant plumage. 



It so happens that these two features — 

 brilliant plumage and white eggs — often occur 

 in one and the same bird ; but frequently birds 

 in no sense brilliantly coloured, as petrels, lay 



