such birds as doves, which only lay one or two eggs, and sit immediately
after, have their eggs white. The bright blue or bright green egg
belongs to birds which make their nests in holes, as the starling, or
construct them of green moss, or place them in the midst of grass, but
always well covered. The eggs of many gallinaceous birds, that make
their nests carelessly in the grass, are of a pale and less decided
green, such as those of the partridge and pheasant. Of the
mixed-coloured eggs, those of which white forms the ground belong to
birds that make very close nests. Speckled eggs, with a dark or dirty
ground, belong to the largest number of species. Almost all the song
birds lay such eggs; and building open nests, they almost invariably
line the inside of them with materials of a harmonious colour with the
eggs, so that no evident contrast is presented which would lead to their
destruction.--_Companion to the Almanac._

* * * * *


EFFECTS OF SEA AIR.


Those who frequent the sea-coast are not long in discovering that their
best dyed black hats become of a rusty brown; and similar effects are
produced on some other colours. The brown is, in fact, _rust_. Most, if
not all, the usual black colours have iron for a basis, the black oxide
of which is developed by galls, logwood, or other substances containing
gallic acid. Now the sea-air contains a proportion of the muriates over
which it is wafted; and these coming in contact with any thing dyed
black, part with their hydrochloric (_muriatic_) acid, and form brown
hydrochlorate of iron, or contribute to form the brown or red oxide,