366 OUR RARER BIRDS 



should be in looking upon such facts as serious objections 

 opposed to laws of nidification and colour. It remains now 

 but to notice the eggs of such birds as the Herons, the 

 Cormorants, and the Storks, all of which lay conspicuous 

 eggs in an open nest, It is quite evident in these cases that 

 the birds by their own prowess alone shield their eggs from 

 danger ; besides, most of these birds are gregarious, and are 

 well able to beat off any enemy that is likely to approach, if 

 not singly, by uniting for the purpose, so that it is of no 

 special advantage for them to conceal their eggs. We must 

 also remember that these birds may have descended from a 

 hole-building ancestor most probably from an ancestor that 

 laid colourless eggs. 



We now come to our second great division, in which the 

 eggs are beautifully adorned with various hues, and as our 

 first group we will notice those that are laid in open nests. 

 As our first instances may be mentioned the Lesser Tern and 

 the Kinged Plover, both of which we minutely examined 

 when studying these birds' habits and economy. The Com- 

 mon Sandpiper's eggs assimilate so closely with the tints 

 around them, as to make their discovery a matter of no small 

 difficulty, as every oologist can testify who has searched for 

 them. The Lapwing's eggs, dark in ground colour and boldly 

 marked, are in strict harmony with the sober tints of moor 

 and fallow, and on this circumstance alone their concealment 

 and safety depend. Another instance may be found in the 

 eggs of the Dotterel, far up the hillsides, amongst the in- 

 cessant mists, where their rich brown markings and stone- 

 coloured ground tints harmonise closely with the colours of 

 their mountain resting-place. The Diver's eggs furnish another 

 example of protective colour ; they are generally laid close to 

 the water's edge, amongst drift and shingle, where their dark 

 tints and black spots conceal them by harmonising closely 

 with surrounding objects. The Snipes and the great army of 



