230 
BIBDS IN A VILLAGE. 
processes of, an art which already exists and is 
perfect ; and that there is no texture of the surface 
of an egg-shell, or appearance of the egg, which 
has not been unconsciously imitated by the potter. 
To return once more to the memories of my 
boyhood. In a very short time after I began to 
collect eggs, I discovered to my sorrow that they 
were not, like precious stones and tinted sea-shells, 
to be a "joy for ever;" the translucent shell 
became opaque, the rich colours faded, and invariably 
the eggs that were prized most for their exquisite 
beauty were the quickest to deteriorate. Three or 
four of these last may be mentioned. The delicate 
gold of the rhea's large egg faded to parchment white. 
Of the spherical eggs of the small variegated 
bittern there were three varieties which took me 
with their rare loveliness — the pure yellow, the 
apple green, and the pure vivid green ; but soon 
after being taken, the soft, moist, vegetable character 
of the colour suffered a change, it became dry and 
dim and pale, until the shells were at last almost 
hateful to look at when their first appearance was 
recalled. More beautiful than the last were the 
wine-purple eggs of the spotted tinamou, called 
partridge in La Plata, the shells of which are so 
highly polished that they sparkle like crystals in 
the sunshine. These, too, grew dim, fading at last 
to a dull leaden hue. An account of this species 
