JAMES NEWTON BASKETT. 95 
of the habit being hurtful, it will in time influence morphologi- 
calstructure. As it now stands, the Rapiores may be, except 
in extent, a group nearly as artificial as the old Watatores. 
It would be interesting, if space allowed, to mention a 
few of the other influences that have affected eggs. As 
already hinted, aside from shape and shell, the embryonic 
history of the egg is very limited. The bird inherits it 
from the saurian hard-shelled, with little left to modify but 
shape and color. The swing of variations in this is small 
—especially in the shape; and much as eggs differ in color, 
it will readily be noted that the differences are wrought with 
small variety of material. It is more a permutation than 
anything else. On these permutations specialization has 
seized, in keeping with the modifying demands of color- 
protection, parental safety, reversions, and what, perhaps, 
Mr. Wallace has suggested as unlicensed variation, not 
influenced by anything. In such groups as the old Picarie 
the egg has perhaps stood still near to its saurian type, or 
else gone a round of reversions that have brought it back. 
Should this latter be the case, what a pedigree of bloods, 
or map of life-routes, a plain, untinted, unmasked egg might 
be! Through this old group the beak has ranged from the 
saurian shape of the parrots to the highly specialized tool of 
the woodpeckers, and the toes have gone from simple rever- 
sions and groupings in pairs to permanent solderings and 
degenerations in loss of joints. Evidently these adhesions 
are in no way connected with primary swimming mem- 
branes. Ifthe eggs have simply remained white, there is 
nowhere among birds a better illustration of specialization 
remaining dormant in them while it ran rampant in struct- 
ure and habit. 
Primarily the eggs of birds must have been white, from 
the inherent color of the salts of lime and magnesia of the 
shell. At least this must have been the case with the eggs 
of the reptiles. As their eggs were buried out of sight there 
was no demand for significant coloration. 
