the Coloration of Eggs. 589 



minor (there liad only been one in the nest). I had no new- 

 laid BulbuFs eggs to offer. This Coly egg was at once tried 

 and rejected, and the rat refused to have anything naore to 

 do with it. After an interval, during which no developments 

 took place, I added a medium hard-set egg of H. jamesoni 

 (Bulbul-like form). This was also at first ignored, and I 

 added a perfectly fresh egg of the same form and a fairly 

 hard-set egg of the white form. The somewhat set Bulbul- 

 like egg was the next to be selected and eaten, in spite of 

 its coloration. 



A little later, as there had been no further developments, 

 I removed the remaining (first-inserted) Bulbul-like hard- 

 set egg and the white hard-set egg of H. jamesoni, and put 

 in instead a fresh egg of T. senegalus from a different clutch 

 from yesterday's, I went away for quite an hour and on 

 my return found that nothing had happened, unless, possibly, 

 the ojpening of the Telephonus egg had been slightly en- 

 larged, indicating trial. I now left in the cage simply the 

 Bulbul egg, the fresh Coly egg, and an egg of D. guttatus. 

 Nothing having happened, 1 added the Telephonus egg. 

 Again nothing happened, and I gave the rat a maize-grain, 

 which was eaten. The eggs were again ignored, and I added 

 two fresh eggs of H. jamesoni, one spotted blue, the other of 

 the Bulbul-like form, both fresh. The rat at once ate the 

 former, but continued to ignore the second, as also a Colius- 

 passer ardens egg and one each of S. ocularia, Cisticola 

 semitorques (a Stonechat-like form), Prima mystacea, and 

 Estrilda sp., which I now added at short intervals. Looking 

 in soon after adding the last, I saw that the CoUuspasser 

 egg had been eaten — possibly (without my noticing it) 

 before some of the last additions. 



As a little time now elapsed without further developments, 

 I removed all the remaining eggs. The rat ate three maize- 

 grains and a small piece of brown bread and butter, but 

 refused to go on with this, and had, in fact, shown some 

 disinclination for the mealies too — as yesterday. He had 

 not been greatly inclined for eggs generally — probably the 



