210 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
White eggs become similarly less conspicuous if the white be 
broken up by the introduction of spots or blotches of shading. 
This is a very simple, but by no means ineffective, means of 
avoiding detection. The eggs of the Australian Shrike-thrushes, 
White-winged Corcorax, and Frontal Shrike-tits, are good instances 
of exposed white eggs so protected. In many families it is note- 
worthy that those kinds of eggs which are quite concealed are 
white, while those which are exposed are speckled or freckled. 
In the Tree Swallows and Martins, we find a graduated series. 
The eggs of the English Sand Martin, laid at the ends of 
tunnels in soft sandstone, are quite white. Those of the Aus- 
tralian Tree Martin which lays in spouts of trees, are very 
slightly spotted. Those of the Fairy Martin, laying in social 
colonies, under the eaves of houses, &c., are more freely flecked. 
Lastly, the English swallow, and the Australian Welcome 
Swallow, which builds under bridges, or in shallow spouts of 
trees, in more exposed situations, are plentifully covered with 
spots. So amongst English Titmice (a family wanting in Aus- 
tralia), the only purely white eggs are those of the long-tailed 
Titmouse, whose long and roomy mossy nest, with side entrance, 
often contains a clutch of a dozen or fourteen eggs. The 
warblers, the larks, and the honey-eaters, are other families of 
birds with spotted eggs. 
The experiments of Jacob (Genesis xxx. 87—48) are recorded 
as having been successful in producing mottled colours in the 
animals under his charge. By the simple device of placing green 
rods before them at the time of conception, in which he “pilled 
white strakes, and made the white appear which was in the rods.” 
“And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth 
cattle ring-straked, speckled and spotted.” It is then not difficult 
to understand that surrounding objects of very different appear- 
ance, but of unequally coloured surface, might as readily produce 
spots and speckles on bird’s eggs, as on the skins of mammals. 
In the case of the Honey-eaters, we may venture a surmise 
as to what the parti-coloured objects are which produce the 
spotted eggs. The eggs of these birds are of various shades of 
ground colour, white, buff, salmon, flesh-coloured, with small 
dots or flecks of purple, chestnut, reddish-brown, or even black, 
The birds, as their name denotes, may be seen busily extracting 
the honey from the flowers by means of their long tongues. 
