158 ALLEN, NOTES ON 



and not very pointed. The distribution of the color in 

 this is nearest of any of the four eggs before me to that 

 figured by Dr. Brewer and only differs from it in tint. 

 One end (the smaller ?) is very light-reddish, or reddish- 

 white, becoming lighter from the middle towards this end, 

 about which it is the lightest and thinly marked with irreg- 

 ular mottlings of dark reddish-chocolate, which present a 

 very superficial grayish tinge that is very characteristic ; 

 the other end fthe larger?) is of a uniform dark ferrugin- 

 ous-brown or dull red-ochre, varied towards the middle 

 by the appearance of the light ground color between the 

 there scarcely confluent blotches of dark-brown that give 

 the uniform deep tint towards and about this end. 



No. 3. Longer diameter 2.32 inches ; shorter diameter 

 1.70 inches ; shorter diameter .733 the longer. Form 

 ovoid, the smaller end elongated and much pointed. This 

 egg is the longest, and much larger in proportion to its 

 diameter than either of the others. The point of greatest 

 diameter is .656 the length of the egg from the smaller 

 end. In this specimen the contrast between the ground 

 color and the markings becomes very strong, the ground 

 color which is seen chiefly in a broad band about the 

 middle of the egg, being white or reddish-white, and the 

 markings very dark reddish-brown nearly approaching 

 purple, and are quite uniformly distributed in blotches of 

 various sizes, the largest being near the larger end of the 

 egg ; the sub-markings are of a lighter reddish-brown 

 and are more blended. 



No. 4. Longer diameter 2.16 inches; shorter diameter 

 1.65 inches ; shorter diameter .765 the longer. Form 

 regular ovoid, the smaller end rather more pointed than 

 the same in No. 1; point of greatest transverse diameter .60 

 the length of the egg from the smaller end. In this speci- 

 men the contrast of the ground color with the markings is 

 very striking, especially when compared with specimens 

 No. 1 and No. 2 ; and the most peculiar part is that the 

 greater end of the egg, which in the eggs of most birds is 

 the end usually most subject to markings and to the 

 greatest depth of color, is white, sprinkled sparingly with 

 reddish specks, while the smaller end is deep, bright, brick- 

 red, here and there relieved by small specks and patches 



