The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-01-26
WILD BIRDS EGGS AS FOOD
Many That Are Eaten IN Europe and Re-
Earded as Dciicacics.

Many That Are Eaten IN Europe and Re-
Earded as Dciicacics.
In Germany and Holland crows
eggs are considered Il luxury among
the poorer classes, and on Prince
Bismarck's eighty-third birthday &;
present of 100 of these was made to
him. The eggs Of the rook are also
looked upon as delicate food by the
Germans and Hollanders. The Chi
nese are not only fond of swallows
nest soup, but they eat the eggs of
this little bird with great relish.
Among the south sea islands the
natives depend largely upon this
kind of food, which the birds pre-
pare for them in nests, and SO i'm
portant is the source of this food
considered that they will rarely de-
stroy the birds. On the great rook-
cries they have found the eggs sup
piled abundantly for them for ages,
and they gather them SO easily that
there is no disposition to destroy
the birds. 1t is only when civilized
man comes, intent upon destroying
the birds for their feathers and
plumes, that these great island rook
cries have been depopulated.
In the markets of Holland-ths
greatest center for wild birds eggs
we find displayed for sale the eggs
of nearly all large wild birds, such
as the crow, rook, gull, plover, pee
wit, redshanks, guillemot, blue her
on, wild duck, sheldrake and many
others. The eggs are gathered for
these markets from the large col
onies along the coast The isle of
Texel supplies many of the wild
birds eggs for the Hollanders. This
island is giver up largely to sheep
grazing, and the shepherds make a
little extra pocket money in gather
ing the wild fowls eggs from the
rocks and broad heaths
In Friesland the farmers have al
most tanned the sheldrakes like do
mesticated fowls. The sheldrakes
have laid their eggs in countless
umbers on the heaths of the Dutch
Norfolk, and the farmers, instead of
killing the birds or frightening them
away, cultivate their acquaintance
and build artificial burrows or nests
in the grass for them. In these nests
the sheldrakes go on laying their
eggs, despite the fact that they are
almost daily robbed of them. In
some instances the female birds will
even permit the farmers to handle
them to remove the eggs. In return
for all this the farmers protect the
birds, and after a certain season they
permit the birds to sit on their eggs
and hatch out young ones. The
young sheldrakes are protected just
as much as our young barnyard
chickens are.
Egg gathering has become legit
innate vocation on the Irish and
Scottish coasts and on all the islands
along the shores. The men who en-
gage in the hazardous work carry
their lives daily in their hands, for
the sea birds build their nests among
the most inaccessible peaks and
crags of the mountains and on ledges
and rocks overlooking the sea, where
sure death awaits the one who makes
a false step. The men swing down
from the top of the cliffs by means
of ropes, and while dangling in this
insecure position between earth and
heaven they gather the eggs of the
ducks, vultures, golden eagles, cor
morants and similar birds. The egg
collector descends the face of the
cliff in his bare feet and provided
only with a stout stick and egg bas-
ket. A companion from above gen.
orally helps him in his descent and
guides him in his perilous move
ments along the face of the noun
tain.
The chief eggs that are sold for
eating in Holland and other Euro
pean cities include those of the wild
ducks and fowls, gulls, plovers,
sheldrakes, meadow hens, guile
mots, pewits, redshanks, turn
stones, snipe, curlews, dunlins,
crows, rocks, cranes, herons, coots,
storks, pelicans, vultures,' hawks,
owls and many of the smaller land
birds. These wild birds eggs are
cheaper in many countries than
hens eggs, and they constitute the
chief egg diet of both rich and poor.
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