io8 THE STUDY OF ANIMAL LIFE 



gentle House Martin builds its plaster cup under 

 the eaves, and the Sand Martin bores a hole in a 

 sandpit or river bank, and at the extremity of the 

 tunnel places a profusion of straw, hay, and 

 feathers in which to secrete its small pointed 

 white eggs. 



And so, although we have only briefly con- 

 sidered a few of the homesteads and nesting places 

 of our British birds, sufficient has, perhaps, been 

 written to show the importance of carefully con- 

 sidering and elaborating upon such a subject when 

 setting out to study the habitations constructed 

 by our feathered population. 



IX. birds' eggs 



Having devoted some amount of attention to 

 the nests of our feathered population, we may now 

 consider the eggs that are placed therein. 



Carefully examined and intelligently studied, 

 the eggs of our British birds present remarkable 

 diversity of shape, size, colour, and markings. 

 Another interesting phase of the subject to which 

 attention may be directed, is the variation in the 

 number of eggs laid, some kinds, such as the 

 Guillemot and the Puffin, laying one egg only, 

 and others, such as the Partridge and Pheasant, 

 and even our small birds, the Tits, depositing a 

 large number. 



