52 A TArEu oy egus, 



at a certain distance, arc seen to enclose the perfect shape of the 

 sharp end of a hen's egg. The accompanying illustration of the 

 spire of St. Nicholas' Church, taken fi'om the West, is fi'om the 

 pencil of our talented townsman, Mr. John Storey. 



The *' Egg and Arrow" or " Egg and Tongue" device is one 

 of the most beautiful ornaments in classic cornices, and as in the 

 case of the Anthemion, it is a form which does not readily tire 

 the eye. 



Our best modern drains, instead of being as formerly square, 

 are modelled on the form of the egg with the sharp end down- 

 wards. 



In the copper-plate Avriting at the heads of school cojDy-books, 

 the letters are nearly all formed more or less after the pattern of 

 the egg, the letter being the piimary type, as our late old 

 friend and fellow member, Mr. John Storey, showed me a good 

 many years ago, in some specimens of his admirable calligraphy. 



The importance of eggs as articles of commerce is best shown 

 by the official records of the numbers that have of late years 

 been imported into the United Kingdom, and also of their money 

 value. Of the vast number produced in these islands no esti- 

 mate is perhaps attainable. 



There were imported as follows : 



In 1872 531,526,800 eggs, valued at £1,702,803. 



In 1873 600,033,240 ,, „ £2,367,741. 



In 1874 680,645,080 ,, ., £2,431,113. 



In 1875 741,411,960 „ ,, £2,561,433. 



In 1876.... 752,980,880 ,, „ £2,610,231. 



— {Economist, Jan. 10, 1874, 1876, and 1877.) 



II. Introduction. — My attention was first caUed to the sub- 

 ject of the coloration of eggs, some years ago, and more parti- 

 cularly in 1863, when at the meeting of the British Association 

 for the Advancement of Science held in Newcastle the late Dr. 

 John Da^'y read, in the Physiological Section, a short paper en- 

 titled, •' Some observations on the Eggs of IMrds." 



In the printed abstract of that paper, the only conclusions 

 warranted by Dr. Davy's researches tliaf had reference to the 



