273
THE J. H. OWEN COLLECTION OF
BRITISH BIRDS' EGGS.
By WILLIAM E. GLEGG, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.
THE collection was presented to the Essex Field Club's
Museum at Stratford in March, 1937. The eggs are
housed in three cabinets, one walnut double drawer and two
mahogany, one single and one double drawer. A catalogue,
compiled by the donor, showing the contents of each drawer,
accompanies the gift. The collection contains over six thousand
one hundred eggs and one hundred and five species of birds are
represented, all of which are included in the Essex list. Twenty-
eight of these birds, however, are not Essex breeders, so that
of the ninety-five breeding birds on the Essex list seventy-
seven are represented. The interest of the gift is enhanced by
the fact that the eggs are preponderatingly Essex; over three-
quarters of them were obtained in the County and nearly the
whole of this portion near Felsted. Actually the eggs of sixty
species were taken in Essex.
The inequalities of distribution are among the most fascinat-
ing and at times perplexing features of ornithology. In this
collection we see, as a result of its local character, a reflection
of some of those differences which confront the student of birds
in the County, for it will be noticed that there are no Essex eggs
of such birds as the Carrion-Crow, Corn-Bunting, Yellow Wagtail
and Redstart, all of which are more or less common in some parts
of the County.
To return to the consideration of the collection in its entirety.
Although no plan of specialization along specific lines appears
to have controlled the collector yet the Passeres are the
dominating feature, the provenance of the major part of the
eggs again manifesting its influence. It may be remarked that
the Ardeidae (herons), the Anatidae (ducks and geese), are com-
pletely without representation and that the Limicolae (waders),
are weakly represented. Of this weak representation only four
sets are from Essex, one of the Ringed Plover and three of the
Lapwing. Running through the eggs systematically we may draw
attention to some of the species whose eggs are numerically
strong. There are those who will not be disappointed that
robber-species do not come last in this respect. The Carrion-