Birds' Eggs 



divide all eggs into two great groups, the spotless and 

 the spotted. Probably in the long ago all eggs were 

 white. As the need for protection became more acute, 

 various shades and tints came into being, and then, for 

 the purpose of further protection, arose the speckled, 

 spotted, blotched and veined eggs which abound every- 

 where at the present day. 



Let us consider the first of our great groups, the spotless 

 eggs. We have mentioned that colour in eggs is a means 

 of protection ; what more natural, then, than to find that 

 white eggs are almost invariably laid by birds which nest 

 in holes or make domed nests. Most owls, and all wood- 

 peckers, tree-creepers, wrynecks, kingfishers, sand-martins 

 and pufrms nest in holes, and all lay white eggs. The 

 dipper, too, lays white eggs in its domed nest, and the 

 grebes, on the other hand, despite the fact that their nests 

 are flat, open structures, also lay similar coloured eggs, 

 and may appear at first sight to be exceptions. To a 

 certain point they are exceptional, but, as though to hide 

 their guilt, these birds always cover their eggs with 

 vegetation when they leave their nests. Wrens and tits, 

 although they construct covered nests, do not lay pure 

 white eggs, but slightly spotted ones, for the reason that 

 their eggs are not so perfectly hidden from view, as a 

 rule, as are those of the true hole-builders. In this 

 connection, an interesting comparison may be made 

 between the eggs of the closely related swift, house-martin 

 and swallow. 



The swift and house-martin build covered nests with 

 minute entrances thereto and, as might be expected, 

 their eggs are white ; the swallow, on the other hand, 

 makes a more open nest and, as is fitting, its eggs are 

 spotted. This brings us to another interesting point. 

 Birds of brilliant plumage rarely lay brightly coloured 

 eggs, nor are such birds as a rule gifted with great vocal 

 powers. The sweet-voiced nightingale could hardly be 

 arrayed in more sombre plumage, whilst the gorgeously 



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