174 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



and which are now and then sold in the streets of 

 London, after having undergone the extraordinary 

 metamorphosis of being converted into tortoise- 

 shell-cats, receiving an artificial tail and ears. 

 The eggs of the Insessorial division of birds exhibit 

 a great variety and some brilliance of colouring. 

 Those of the fieldfare are very beautiful, the 

 ground a pale blue, spotted over with markings of 

 yellow, pink, and brown. Those of the grasshop- 

 per warbler are still more beautiful, consisting of 

 a delicate mixture of soft lilac and pink spots ; the 

 egg of the titmouse has the same tints, but with 

 greater boldness and distinctness. The egg of the 

 tree-pipit has a rich claret colour. The eggs of the 

 skylark are occasionally of a grass-green freckling. 

 Every schoolboy is acquainted with the ugly green 

 of the crow's egg. The eggs of the red grouse often 

 present singular varieties of colour ; the surface 

 of some resemble the spots of a leopard, that of 

 others being suffused with a deep claret colour. 

 The herons produce beautiful pale blue eggs. 

 Perhaps the most beautiful of all eggs are those of 

 the guillemot : none can vie with them in variety 

 and richness of colouring ; in some instances the 

 ground is the most beautiful pale blue, spotted 



