384 ON THE NIDIFICATION OF DROMAS AEDEOLA. 



young- have not yet permanently left the nest boles, but are 

 still always found in these during the day time at any rate. 

 Whether they come out to feed during the night, has yet to 

 he discovered. Some old birds once passed within a few yards 

 of me about midnight, and possibly they are partially noctur- 

 nal in their habits, and if so as there are no jackals or other 

 animals on the coral islets where this species breeds, and as 

 there are no birds of prey about in these places at night, it is 

 far from improbable that, though still haunting their burrows 

 during the day time until quite full grown and able to fly as 

 well as their parents, they may nevertheless come out to feed 

 during the night as soon as they are able to run well, and 

 this they seem to be within ten daj^s of being hatched. 



The eggs of this species are extremely like those of Shear- 

 waters and are large for the size of the bird. They are rather 

 elongated, slightly pyriforra ovals ; the shell is compact, but 

 very distinctly granulated ; in colour they are pure white, 

 without any spot or markings of any kind. Held up against 

 the light the shell is of a pale greenish yellow. Some of the 

 eggs exhibit a very slight gloss. 



In size the eggs vary from 2*42 to 'i'^'o in length, and from 

 1-73 to 1-85, but the average of twenty is 2-54 by 1-77. 



These dimensions are large for the size of the bird. If we 

 compare the following species : — 



Name of species. Average weight of the Bird. Ayebash dimeksiows os Eggs, 



^sacus recurvirostris. 1 lb. 12 ozs. 



„ magnirostris... 2 lbs. 4 ozs. 



(Edicnemus scolopax ) lb 12 ozs 



small Indian race 3 



Dramas ardeola ... 1 lb. ozs. 



Sismatoj>us ostrale- > 1 lb 6 ozs 



gus ... ...>■■ 



we see that, though almost the smallest bird of the lot, its egg^ 

 are almost the biggest, quite as large as those of u^E. magniros- 

 tris, which weighs 2^ times what it does and very much larger 

 than those of ^. recurvirostris, which weighs nearly double 

 what it does. 



And moreover the eggs do not bear the smallest resemblance 

 to, and have nothing, absolutely, akin to those of any one of, 

 the above mentioned species which have usually been consi- 

 dered its nearest allies. 



If I was to name any genus, I should say that the eggs 

 and breeding habits of the Crab Plovers were closer to those 

 of the Shearwaters than to those of any other birds with which 

 1 am acquainted. 



A. 0. H. 



