tJie Coloration of Eggs. G03 



Expt. 24. July 17. — Offered the mongoose a duck's e^^. 

 He began to lick at its contents. I withdrew it and offered 

 a fowl's egg. He smelt and refused it. I put it down in 

 front of hira, and he gave one or two licks at it and desisted. 

 I put a duck^s eg^ beside it. He came forward again, 

 smelt it, was somewhat more inclined for it, and licked into 

 it a little ; then desisted, drew back and lay down again. 

 After this he refused to be tempted by either egg. I left 

 each in front of him — just outside his sleeping-box door, he 

 lying just inside — and offered (in my fingers as usual) a 

 Guinea-fowl egg (Numida meleagris). He smelt it well, 

 licked it, became intensely interested, and began to follow 

 it out on my withdrawing it. I re-offered, in my fingers, 

 the foAvl's and duck's, and he would touch neither, but at 

 once commenced to lick at the Guinea-fowrs. I withdrew 

 it again, and again left the fowl and duck egg before him. 

 He smelt each and withdrew. I then put down the Guinea- 

 fowl egg a little distance on my side of the other two. 

 These were side by side, and, with some straw he had thrown 

 out of his box, formed a barrier between the mongoose and 

 the Guinea-fowl egg. He at once rose and came forward, 

 smelling the fowl and duck eggs as he did so, then leaned 

 right over them in a very strained position, and began 

 eagerly to lick up the Guinea-fowl's. He soon drew back, 

 and, in doing so, actually licked and refused the fowl's egg, 

 shaking his head vigorously, and smelt and refused the 

 duck's ; and, making quite a delour, came round to my side 

 of the Guinea-fowl egg and began to lick it out in comfort. 

 He had half finished it, or rather more, when he began to 

 find the opening too small and tried to enlarge it. Whether 

 because the shell was excessively hard, or for some other 

 reason, he quitted it after licking very little more and began 

 to lick at the fowl's egg instead, appetized thereto, as I 

 thought, by his previous feed of Guinea-fowl's egg. I now 

 lett, leaving the three eggs in with him for the night. 

 Actually two fowls'* eggs had been used, but only one was 

 now left in. 



Expt. 25. July 18. — The Fowl's egg has been licked clean 



