DOUBLE- SHELLED EGGS. 213 



double-shelled egg. This kind of egg, though not 

 very frequently met with, yet occasionally occurs, 

 to the surprise of its discoverer. It is in reality 

 an egg with two shells. The egg of a goose par- 

 ticularly large, is described in the second volume 

 of the Magazine of Natural History as having 

 this structure. Within the outer calcareous case 

 was found another egg, resembling the outer one 

 in shape, &c. but provided with a shell of its own. 



The Inverness Courier contains an account of 

 an abnormal egg still more remarkable than any 

 previously noticed. This egg was considerably 

 larger than ordinary, and was dropped by a duck. 

 The egg having excited some curiosity, was 

 cautiously broken open, and was found to contain 

 three yolks, besides a small egg quite entire, and 

 about the size of a pigeon's. 



It is extremely difficult to account for the 

 origin of these anomalies. Various explanations 

 have been given, but none of them are of sufficient 

 applicability to all the variations noticed to justify 

 our adverting to them. It is sufficiently evident, 

 however, that the malformation is due, in reality, 

 to some interference with the natural processes, 

 of the causes of which we are still ignorant. 



