BEAUTIFUL NEST AND EGGS. 171 



sions, an egg is seen, which much more nearly 

 resembles a large comfit than an egg. Oval in 



Nest of Humming-bird, 



shape, of a delicate white flushed with the faintest 

 tinge of pink, it lies in its fairy resting-place, a 

 wonderful illustration of the narrow bounds within 

 which its Almighty Author can compass the germ 

 of a future living and beautiful being. 



The shape of an egg is one of those things with 

 which we are most constantly familiar ; every per- 

 son recognises it as an oval, of which the one end 

 is large, the other small and tapering. Yet, while 

 such is the prevailing form, there are a large num- 

 ber of eggs which exhibit a different, and some a 

 singular outline. If we take the hen's egg as a 



