184 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



ing, and by age having acquired a certain polish 

 and yellow tint, will be struck with the close simi- 

 larity of character between it and the ostrich egg : 

 the minute foramina in the skull, which give pas- 

 sage to the blood-vessels, producing in it the same 

 perforated look as that of this bird's egg. The sur- 

 face of the eggs of the extraordinary bird of New 

 Zealand called the moa is marked with regular 

 depressions, which give it a curious aspect. The 

 eggs of the emu are likewise marked in a peculiar 

 manner. The egg of the singular Australian bird, 

 the megapodius, concerning which some interesting 



particulars will come under notice in another page, 

 has a curious texture. It is of a dull, unpolished 

 aspect, and looks earthy and chalk-like, though of 



