RASORES. 163 



** One of the mounds of these birds which had been robbed 

 of its effffs on the 11th of November, some of which were 

 quite fresh, had two fresh eggs laid in it on the 27th of the 

 same month, and the birds were seen at the nest on the 

 morning of the 28th, apparently for the purpose of laying, 

 when the male bird was shot. 



'* Sometimes several of these mounds are constructed close 

 to one another. I found two within 200 or 300 yards; and 

 have seen five within the distance of four or five miles. They 

 were built in precisely the same situations that 1 have seen 

 them in other parts of the continent, that is, in a sandy 

 scrubby country, the site of the mound being in some little 

 open glade, in the very thickest part of the scrub. 



" The eggs are of a light pink, the colour being brightest 

 and most uniform when freshly laid. As the time of hatching 

 approaches they become discoloured, and marked in places 

 with dark spots. 



" The greatest length of these eggs is about . 3^ inches. 

 „ breadth „ . . 2^ „ 



** Circumference in direction of length .... 10 „ 



breadth . . . 7t% 



" The temperature of the nests I have examined has always 

 been warm; not so much so, however, as I should have 

 thought necessary for the purpose of hatching eggs. 



" There are two great peculiarities about these eggs ; the 

 first is, that both ends are of nearly the same size, which 

 form is peculiarly adapted to the position in which they are 

 always placed ; the egg being compressed in every part as 

 nearly as possible towards the axis, in which the centre of 

 gravity lies, there is the least possible tendency to its equih- 

 brium being destroyed when it is placed in a vertical posi- 

 tion. A second pecuharity is the extreme thinness of the 

 shell, and its consequent fragility. This is so great, that, 

 unless the egg is handled with the greatest care, it is sure to 

 be broken ; and every effort which has been made to hatch 



M 2 



