70 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on [Ibis, 



example. It is true tbat a considerable number of these 

 birds lay white or nearly white e^gs, and indeed in a few 

 cases, such as Astur, Butastur, and Accipiter, in some eggs 

 the blue of the hard inner shell shows through the outer 

 layers of calcite, but in no case is the blue tinge strong 

 enough to dominate the general tone. Whatever colour 

 there is_, with the exception of this blue tint, is of some 

 erythristic shade, and it is important to remember that even 

 the eggs of those Accipitres which generally lay white ones, 

 often show spots and blotches of colour which invariably 

 contain some degree of erythristic coloration. The primary 

 or superficial markings may be brown with any degree of 

 red in them, whilst the secondary or subordinate ones are 

 of some shade of grey, neutral tint, or lavender equally 

 invariably showing some slight trace of the same. The eggs 

 of Pernis, Tinnunculus, and many species of Falco can only 

 be described as red eggs, and undoubtedly such eggs 

 preponderate greatly in this order. 



Before leaving the subject of erythrism as applied to 

 orders, attention should be drawn to that remarkable group, 

 the PhaeiJiontithe, generally placed with the Steganopodes, 

 but probably worthy of being raised to an order by them- 

 selves. The eggs of these, even more consistently erythristic 

 than those of the Raptores, show remarkable affinities to the 

 eggs of this order, as itideed do the birds themselves in many 

 respects. 



Amongst families it is a much easier matter to find 

 examples in which all the species invariably lay erythristic 

 eggs. There are many such, but there are two which to me, 

 as a collector of Indian eggs, appear particularly striking, 

 i. e., the Dicruridce and Bj-achypodincE. The latter family — 

 or subfamily as Oates calls it— has no member which does 

 not lay truly erythristic eggs, and any field-naturalist can 

 say, almost at a glance, whether an egg does or does not 

 belong to it. To-night I have had to place a limit on my 

 exhibition, space and the difficulty of carriage necessitating 

 this, but in the one box shoAvn there are examples of ten 



