THE RINGED PLOVER. 209 



(vii.) THE EGGS. 



The eggs are pyriform, and, though they vary considerably in 

 shape, they always take this form. They are creamy-buff to clay- 

 colour ground, with small spots, lines, and blotches axis, i'$in. 

 to i'5Sin. ; diameter, "09-95 to rosin. 



Mr. Robert Read says that he has noticed that the eggs vary 

 very considerably in ground colour, according to the locality, 

 those laid on the dark pebbles near inland lakes and rivers being 

 much duller than those laid on the bright yellow sea sand. 

 They are somewhat difficult to see unless you are practised at 

 finding them. We find that the eggs vary very much in ground 

 colour and markings. The ground is almost anything from an 

 almost white to a decided yellowish buff through all shades of 

 stone colour and French grey. There is always an underlying 

 series of spots and blotches of a cold French grey and an over- 

 lying series of dark vandyke brown marks. 



The eggs when fresh have a greenish tint, but as incubation 

 progresses this is lost ; when blown and in the cabinet they 

 become somewhat papery in texture and tint. 



There are, according to our experience, three types which 

 intergrade, and we have named them according to the material 

 on which they are found : 



(i.) The shingle type with big spots and blotches (Plate 



XV., a and e}. 



(2.) The seaweed type with numerous small spots and 

 scribbly markings and biggish blotches (Plate XV., b\ 

 (3.) The sand type with exceedingly fine markings (Plate 

 XV., c and d). 



The various types are usually found in the situation which has 

 led us to give them the above names, and we have rarely found 

 any of the types on material not in consonance with the markings. 



The eggs figured at Plate XV., c, is one of an exceedingly 

 small clutch, measuring nearly half an inch less in length than 

 the normal egg, and this clutch was, we believe, laid by a bird of 

 the smaller European race which will hereafter be discussed. 



