EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 157 



yellowish-brown, mottled and clouded or blotched with 

 red or olive brown ; variable both in ground-colour and 

 markings. 



H*f THE OYSTER-CATCHER. 



This bird lays its eggs, which number three or four — three 

 being the general rule — on the bare ground, mostly in 

 slight declivities, taking care that they are above high- 

 water-mark. Sometimes a few bents, pebbles, or broken 

 shells are used as a sort of lining. The eggs are stone or 

 cream colour, of a variety of shades, blotched with dark 

 brown, occasionally streaked and spotted with a lighter 

 hue. The markings are variable in character and position, 

 some being pretty equally distributed over the eggs, whilst 

 others are inclined to form a belt round the larger end. 



t/it 



iy THE COLE TIT. 



Trunks of trees, holes in walls and banks made by rats, 

 moles, or mice, are selected for incubation purposes by this 

 little bird. The nest is built of moss, wool, and hair, and 

 contains from five to eight, or even nine eggs, white, 

 spotted and freckled with light red or red-brown. 



THE GUILLEMOT. 



The Guillemot makes no nest at all, but deposits its single 

 egg on the ledges of sea- cliffs in a great many places 

 round our coasts. A verbal description of it is almost 

 useless, as the colouring presents such a wonderful variety 

 of tints. The ground-colours are white, cream, yellowish- 

 green, blue, reddish-brown, pea-green, purplish-brown, &e. 

 Some are profusely spotted and blotched or streaked with 

 black, black-brown, or grey in great variety ; whilst others 



