﻿272 WORCESTER. 



After she had left her eggs I photographed them from above (PI. II, 

 fig. 2 ) . They were two in number, and in color were dirty white with a 

 few faint, purplish lines and blotches. They were in an advanced state 

 of incubation. Scattered about near them were several small and per- 

 fectly white stones, which had evidently been brought from some dis- 

 tance by the parent birds, as no similar ones could be found in the 

 vicinity. These stones served the purpose of rendering the eggs less 

 conspicuous when uncovered, but whether they were brought with this 

 end in view or for purposes of ornamentation, it is of course not easy 

 to say. 



