Birds' nests, eggs and egg-collecting (1896) (14775242583)

Identifier: birdsnestseggseg00kear (find matches)
Title: Birds' nests, eggs and egg-collecting
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Kearton, Richard, 1862-1928
Subjects: Birds Birds Birds
Publisher: London New York : Cassell
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries



Text Appearing Before Image:
ne egg is laid, white in ground colour,with a belt of small brownish-red spots round the largerend. THE RED-NECKED PHALARORE. A LITTLE withered grass or other herbage is used to line thedepression selected by this bird for its nesting place, whichis situated on the ground in grassy swamps and marshes,near water as a rule, in the North of Scotland and some ofthe islands lying to the west and north thereof. Foureggs are laid, varying in ground colour from olive to palebuff, spotted, speckled, and blotched with varying shadesof dark brown and underlying specks of light grey. THE HOOPOE. Although this bird has bred in different parts of England,its chances of doing so now are somewhat remote, onaccount of the merciless persecution it suffers at the handsjf gunners. Its nest is situated in holes in trees, walls, orrocks, and is composed of bits of straws and dry grass.The eggs number from five to seven, and vary from lightgreenish-blue to pale buff*, with minute pitmarks over theirsurface.
Text Appearing After Image:
EGGS. I. Golden Oriole. 2. Shag. 3- Ciadwall. 4. Willow Wren. 5. Richardsons Skua. 6. Marsh Warbler. 7- Goshawk. 8. Pintail. 9. Arctic Tern. to. Blue-headed Wagtail. EGGS AND EGG-COLLECTING. 86 THE GOLDEN ORIOLE. This bird is, to a very great extent, an accidental visitor toour shores, but it is thought by eminent authorities that itwould become a common breeder with us were it not so dearto the heart of the collector. It has bred in several of thesouthern counties of England, and sus23ends its nest, whichis composed of strips of bark, wool, sedge, grass, and leaves,with an inner lining of flower-heads of grass, beneath theforks of a large horizontal branch at some considerableheight from the ground. The eggs number four to fiveor six, are white or light creamy-white, spotted withpurplish-brown and underlying markings of grey. THE OSPREY.The Osprey, now only met with in one or two remoteparts of Scotland, employs sticks, turf, moss, and woolin the construction of its bulky nest, which