30 
president's address 
Neither can I believe it likely that those species who now 
lay white eggs upon the ground in open nests will some day 
develop markings as a means of protection. 
Let us notice a few birds that lay their eggs on the bare 
ground in exposed situations, trusting entirely to the close 
similarity of the colouring of their eggs to their surrounding 
for safety. For instance, take the eggs of the oyster catcher, 
or ring dotterel, laid on the hare shingle or sand, which you 
will frequently walk over without discerning them from the 
surrounding material, and I know instances where a nest has 
been found and left, with the intention of securing the eggs 
upon the return journey, when it was impossible to come 
across them again the second time. Norfolk plover, lapwing, 
Arctic and Sandwich terns are like examples. 
This marvellous harmonising with the surroundings does 
not strike you when you see a clutch of eggs lying upon 
cotton wool in a cabinet, or holding one in your hand, but 
you require to view in the open on their bed of shingle, or 
earth, to thoroughly appreciate the beauty of such an arrange¬ 
ment. The young of those species with these nesting habits 
depending entirely for safety upon their coloration, when 
first hatched are covered with down, the tints of which are 
in such complete harmony with the stones and lichens that 
often you would not discover the immovable crouching little 
beauties unless you happened to see a bright little eye 
watching you. 
I well remember the difficulty I had in finding some young 
golden plovers in Perthshire, amongst the heather, so closely 
did they resemble the golden moss and lichens, and as they 
had ran from the nest I was more than half an hour in 
securing three. Upon the first symptom of alarm the parents 
at onofe leave their offspring and endeavour to draw attention 
upon themselves by their actions and cries, well knowing that 
their presence with their—often—conspicuous plumage in 
proximity to their young would at once proclaim their hiding 
place. 
Other ground nesting species, such as grouse, partridge, 
pheasants, do not trust to the colour and markings of their 
eggs for protection so much as to the harmonious blending 
of their own plumage with the adjacent greys and browns of 
hedgerow and moor. Cases are known where the old bird 
has had to be touched before she would leave her nest and so 
expose the treasures she was covering. 
In the case of the pheasant the male takes no part in 
incubation but leaves those duties to his sombre-coloured 
mate; this species is polygamous like most of the gallinaceous 
genera, 
