Herr Badeker's and Dr. Brewers Oological Works. 403 
shape, on a convex surface, such as an egg-shell, presents its 
full form and dimensions only when placed exactly in front of the 
spectator, and consequently that all the markings, except the 
comparatively few on the portion of shell nearest to the eye, 
seem to be more or less contracted or in profile according as they 
are situated at a greater or less distance from that portion. On 
this principle therefore all drawings of eggs should be made. 
Simple, however, as it would appear to do this, yet in practice, 
as we can testify from our own experience, it is by no means 
easy. Hence it arises that there are few persons who can deli¬ 
neate an egg so that it may look like what it is intended to be, and 
not like a representation of a flat surface. Mr. Badeker is much 
given to this defect, and we see in numerous instances the spots 
at the margin of his figures, which resemble eggs in being of 
%e same shape as their shadows, exactly the same in size and 
form as those at the centre. This is especially to be observed in 
figs. 4 and 5 of Plate VI., representing the eggs of the Golden 
Plover and Dotterel. No amount of shading, no judicious arrange¬ 
ment of light, will avail anything towards producing on a flat 
surface the semblance of a convex one, so long as this first principle 
is neglected. Plate VII. is devoted to the Common, Arctic, and 
Little Terns, the different varieties of which we do not think have 
ever been so well illustrated, in spite of the one prevailing defect 
to which we have just alluded. Plate VIII. introduces us to 
some of the Ducks. We are not sorry to see that our artist 
figures mottled eggs of birds of this family, for we are inclined 
to think that the spots so often to be observed on eggs of the 
Eider, and occasionally on those of other ducks, are not to be re¬ 
garded as monstrous, but as having the character of true mark¬ 
ings. We doubt if eggs of the King Duck are generally so 
much more deeply coloured than those of the Common Eider, as 
would appear from Mr. Badeker's drawings. Mr. Hewitson 
in the last edition of his work has figured (Eggs B.B. 3rd ed. 
PL CXV., fig. 2) one of the former, almost as pale in colour as a 
Wild Duck's, but until a larger series of more carefully identified 
examples than those usually received from Baffin's Bay are ob¬ 
tained, we hardly venture to pronounce judgment on this point. 
2*2 
