INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS. 15 
and presenting no great contrast in colour to her feathers: but 
there is no difficulty in seeing her eggs as they lie in the nest. 
And so well aware is she of the fact, that she always covers her 
eggs with some convenient and suitable material—last year’s oak 
leaves, for example—when leaving her nest deliberately, or not 
under the impulses of alarm. The Hedge-Sparrow’s eggs again, 
or any other blue egg, how can they be supposed to become less 
conspicuous by their colour when reposing in some earth-brown 
or hay-coloured nest-cup ? 
Tf it had been said that the Golden Plover’s eggs, the Peewit’s, 
the Snipe’s, the Norfolk Plover’s—not to name many others of 
which the same might be alleged—were of such general hue, 
so shaded and so marked as to be anything but conspicuous, as 
to be indeed well calculated to escape any but a most scrutinising 
notice, in the apologies for nests which usually contain them, 
the entire truth of the remark would have appealed to every 
nest-finder’s experience and assent: but it will not do so in any 
other form. 
It is impossible to lay down any rule for the colours of eggs 
in connection with the places, or nature of the places, in which 
they are laid. White eggs are not laid in nests built in dark 
holes as a rule—indeed, very much the contrary; witness the 
Dove’s eggs, and so many of those of the Duck tribe; nor are 
dark-coloured eggs invariably found to be. laid where exposed 
to the greatest amount of broad daylight. There seems to be 
no rule in the matter. 
Again, another answer to the question just noticed is, Eggs 
were made so beautiful, and so various in their beauty, to gratify 
and gladden man’s eye. Idon’t dispute the fact that the beautiful 
shape, and the beautiful tints, and the beautiful markings do 
gratify and gladden the human eye and human heart too. I 
