the Coloration of Eggs. 587 



it, and shortly afterwards lapped again and abandoned it. 

 No further developments occurring, I went away and, re- 

 turning considerably later, found the egg pushed aside, but 

 no noticeable further diminution in its contents. I placed 

 besideiit an egg of C. ardens, somewhat set, which was at once 

 attacked and eaten. I replaced it with a nearly fresh egg 

 of Dryoscopus guttatus. This was tried, then neglected. 

 I went away for a short time and on my return found the 

 Drtjoscopus egg two-thirds eaten. The remainder had been 

 abandoned. I left in beside it a second egg from the same 

 Dryoscopus clutch, and this was shortly afterwards tried and 

 at once rejected. As the rat took no further notice of it I 

 went to my work, and simply returned two or three times at 

 intervals, one or two of them as long probably as half an 

 hour. The Turtur egg and the two of Dryoscopus remained 

 untouched beside the rat throughout, except that I once 

 found the Turtur egg somewhat shifted — but with no 

 appreciable diminution in its contents. I then added an 

 egg of A, albifrons which was not attacked during the three 

 or four minutes during which I watched it, but had been 

 eaten when I returned half an hour later, though the others 

 remained untouched. 



I now left in the Dove^s egg alone for a considerable time, 

 and it remained untouched. I put in again first one Dryo- 

 scopus egg and later the other. The second was lapped at and 

 refused ; otherwise both were neglected, though pushed in 

 turn under the rat^s nose and left there. I then put in a 

 half egg, very slightly set, of Centropus nigrorufus. The 

 egg closely resembled the Dove^s both in size and colour, 

 and I therefore mottled it over with red water-colour paint 

 to give it a distinctive appearance. Even so, owing to its 

 being only a half egg longitudinally cut, very little of its 

 outside probably showed, and the general impression was 

 doubtless that of a Turtle-Dove. Whether for this reason 

 or on its merits (I did not actually see it tasted) the egg 

 remained uneaten, though left in for a very considerable time. 

 So did one of Telephonus senegalus. That of a Whydah Bird 

 (C. aniens)^ very hard-set, was, however, attacked and had its 



