170 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



pitted with holes of no great depth. From the 

 pieces which have been collected, some idea also 

 of the size of the egg may be obtained ; and this 

 is best realized in quoting the expression of the 

 dicoverer of the shells, "A hat would have 

 formed a good egg-cup for it!" The egg must 

 consequently have been larger than that of any 

 known species of bird. 



The least of the British birds is the gold-crested 

 wren; and its egg is smaller than that of any 

 other bird found in our country. In length it 

 measures half an inch, and in diameter five- 

 twelfths of an inch. The next smallest are those 

 of the long-tailed titmouse, which, white be- 

 speckled with pale red spots, only measures seven- 

 twelfths of an inch in length, and five in breadth. 

 Starting from this diminutive size, the dimensions 

 of the eggs of our British birds rise with the most 

 gradual succession of change until they reach the 

 largest admeasurements. The least known eggs 

 are those of the humming-bird. In one of the 

 table-cases at the British Museum, will be found 

 the exquisite structure and egg which form the 

 original from which the accompanying drawing 

 was taken. In a little cup of the smallest dimen- 



