The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-09-20
WILD BIRDS EGGS.
MANY KINDS THAT ARE USED FOR
FOOD IN DIFFERENT LANDS.
English Galleries and Hollands Eggiapd.
Egg Thieves Among the Feathered
Tribes-How the Jackdaws Robbed Their
Friend the Bantam.


Ing more than In any other department of
life has set very narrow limits 20 the Eng
| lish idea of what are and what are not
| edible eggs. This must be mainly due TO
fancy, for the taste Of the eggs of most
| birds Is almost the same, though that of
very fow, such ms the pluver and tho
| guinea fowl, is distinctly superior. Much
has been written as to the sale of other
birds eggs gulls', guillemots and red
shanks for plovers' eggs They are good
enough of their kind, but the difference
can be recognized when the shell is strip
| ped off Not even those of the rodshank
approach the ployers in flavor. The gull's
| eggs are so unlike those of the peewit that
the persistence of the tradition that they
are sold rs plovers eggs is puzzling.
The explanation Is somewhat curious
The belief had its origin In confusion
Of names, which is illustrated by a note
of Sir Thomas Browne The old Norfolk
name for the black headed gull was ''puet,
and these puets eggs were formerly much
more commonly used for feed than pee
wits eggs Sir Thomas speaks of the
puets, in such plontc about horsey, tha5
they sometimes bring them in carts TO
Norwich, and sell them at small rates,
and the country people make use Of their
| eggs IN buildings and otherwise. The
! black headed gull was and To some ex-
tent is still the principal wild contrbu-
tor 10 our egg supply, except the rock fowl
| of the coast AT the celebrated cutlery in
Scoulton Mere, In Norfolk the first eggs
are generally laid in the middle of March
and none Is taken after II certain time
fixed yearly. according as the season is
early or late AS late as 1890, according
TO Mr. Thomas Southwell, from 5000 to
5000 eggs were taken annually from this
one colony Several of the ancient CUTLER
les of Norfolk are now extinct That near
| Wangtord was destroyed, according 10 the
evidence OF Il wnrrener who remem bercd
| the "coddy noodles, as he called them
by taking their eggs too close. On the
| other hand. fresh colonies have been estab.
] lished elsewhere
| In the markets in Holland all kinds of
lnrge birds eggs appear for sale, and are
presumably intended TO be eaten. Red
| shanks greenshanks', and godwits are
the commonest in the market stalls of
| South Holland, but one sees also the bright
| blue eggs of the heron and those of wild
ducks Formerly very large trade was
| done in wild fowl eggs with the shepherds
( of the isle of Tcxel The north part of the
| '1axel las it is pronounced by the Dutch)
and IL was from this district that the sup
ply was mainly drawn In Friesland, the
| Dutch Norfolk, where meres, breads,
| heaths and wild fowl abound, the shell
! brakes eggs are one of the minor sources
of pocket money TO the villagers Shell
! brakes like to nest in burrow in which
! they would normally lay one setting of
| eggs and then hatch them of The Fries
| landers provide ready made burrows, from
| which dozen nesting chambers radiate.
| These artificial nests are made in grass
/ covered sand hill Il loose turf being laid
over each nesting chamber, which is re-
moved when the egg is taken, and then
replaced The strangest part of this ar
| ranPement is the tameness of the birds.
! Several females use the same entrance and
! will allow themselves To be handled They
go on laying regularly, like hens, until
the middle of June, when they are allowed
I TO sit. The late Mr. II Durnford, the first
| English naturalist who described the wild
| life of the Friesian islands, noted that each
! vilager generally owned one of these shell
drake lodging houses, and that they were
! scrupulously honest in not taking each
| others eggs
This is greatly to the credit of the Erie
slams, because egg stealing is not only AN
|
| of whatever nation, but is the only form
] of crime which is generally recognized
and labeled as larceny in the animal COM
I munity Every bird knows that the other
| bird s eggs are that bird s property. 1t is
not like young one, but a chattcl, and
I there is distinct criminal class among
! birds which knowingly steal eggs, just rs
J there is IA respectable class, the great ma
! jority, who know that they have to guard
| against this Betwixt and between there
/ Is doubtful stratum, represented in this
! country by rocks, starlings (Which take
| larks eggs), and gulls, who are not habit
! ual criminals, but are liable to stray when
| temptation comes The professional egg
stealers among our birds are the carriOn
crow tho magpie, the jay, and the jack
| daw. They have 10 inisgivings whatever
as 10 the edible properties of all eggs,
| though we never knew an instance of them
| stealing from each other They are perfect
J ly aware that they are stealing, and their
whole air and demeanor when so employed
| is different to that which they wear when
hunting for legitimate food.
The following cases may be cited: In
| April, 1885, wild duck was disturbed
| from her nest In copse in the isle OF
Wight An hour later Il pair of crows
IOuDu the nesU. III nelu IL eggs, rather 700
many for two crows breakfasts They in
vited few friends, ate all the eggs and
then began such chorus of crouks and
shouts that the crime was suspected Ev-
cry egg was gone before n single crow ut
tered "a sound In Holland two magpies
found a pheasant sitting. They waited
until early next morning and then set 10
work at daybreak, when their proceedings
were watched One went behind the pleas
ant and peoked its tail till the bird turned
round and rushed at the Insgpie The 9th
er magpie at once spiked an egg and few
off Two jackdaws which had II nest in u
hollow tree near house in Suffolk showed
touching affection for n bantam hen
They hoped about the yard In her com
pany, ate out of tho plate of food set down
for the bantam and were much COM
mended The bantam had n nest in the
garden known to the household AS no
eggs were visible for some days n watch
was kept The two jackdaws were seen
sitting by their friend. who was on the
nes, When the egg was laid, the bantam