160 
OUR BIRDS IN WINTER. 
my arguments, but because I shall be able to 
get corroboration from you in various ways.’ 
It will be noticed that he was afflicted with a 
true naturalist’s modesty. 
As soon as he had finished, the theme was 
taken up by various members, some ascribing 
the form of my bill to the various crosses that 
my family had had in former times with others. 
Some concluding that the malformation, as 
they termed it, was inherited from the first 
pair that was created, and was the result of a 
little deception that existed between them, 
they having played a little game of cross pur- 
poses together. Some brought forward one 
argument, some another, all full of absurdity ; 
at length there arose a gentleman, with an 
^ I shall now crush you all ’ air about him, 
who addressed the others politely as follows : 
^ You are all wrong, you may be assured ; if 
you had paid that attention to embryology that 
the importance of the subject should receive, 
you would know that, owing to the peculiar 
character of the food of some birds, the shell of 
the eggs is of greater hardness and toughness 
