Major Bendire on Cow-Birds' Eggs. 239 



on the cow-birds in Smithsonian Report, 1893, gives 

 more detail than we find elsewhere on the extraor- 

 dinary diversity in eggs of Molotlirus bonariensis. 



" 1 doubt," he says, " whether any other species 

 exists laying eggs so varied. About half the eggs 

 one finds, or nearly half, are pure unspotted white, 

 like the eggs of birds that breed in dark holes. Others 

 are sparsely sprinkled with such exceedingly small 

 specks of pale pink or grey as to appear quite spotless 

 until closely examined. After the pure white, the 

 most common variety is an egg with a white ground, 

 densely or uniformly spotted or blotched with red. 

 Another not uncommon has a very pale, flesh-coloured 

 ground, uniformly marked with fine characters, that 

 look as though inscribed on the shell with a pen. 

 Rarer is a variety pure white with variously sized 

 chocolate spots : rarest of all is one entirely of fine 

 deep red, and between this and the white one w^ith 

 almost imperceptible specks are varieties without 

 number, for there is no such thing as fixed character- 

 istic markings." 



And the cowbirds' eggs vary as much in size and 

 shape as in colour, markings, etc., they range from 

 ovate to short, rounded and elongate-ovate, the first 

 predominating. The shell is strong, and no doubt, 

 as with the egg of the cuckoo, comparatively heavy. 



This leads to no end of points of comparison with 

 the eggs of our common cuckoo. Are they thus 

 variegated for the same reason as is generally assumed 

 in regard to variety of colour and markings in eggs of 

 our cuckoo, or what ? Does each slightly different 

 variety belong to one bird, which does not vary from 

 type or tint, or mark in any respect, or by one iota, 



