The Eggs of Birds 461 
lays it we will not here concern ourselves, except to remark 
that the largest egg in proportion to the size of the bird 
is that of the apteryx. If we imagine a rather smallish 
hen laying an egg 3X5 inches in size, we will get a vivid 
idea of this bird’s ability, and it lays two at a setting! 
The smallest of all eggs is that of the hummingbird, while 
the largest is the egg of the extinct giant Mpyornis of 
Madagascar, the shell of which measures 9X13 inches. 
In some cases the fossil egg is all that is left to us to hint 
of the existence of these great feathered creatures. Many 
of these shells have been found buried with some old 
native chief, the whole egg placed beside him to furnish 
food for the long journey after death. 
Whether we look at eggs from the standpoint of an 
artist’s delight in harmonious and delicate colouring, or 
from the wonder of their scientific composition, or even 
from the point of view of a hungry man sitting down to 
breakfast, we must admit that they deserve all the appre- 
ciation which their beauty and their utility demand. 
