Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/775

* EGER. 675 EGG. the ruins of the imperial castle built by Fred- erick Barbarossa. From their midst rises a peculiar square black tower, constructed of blocks of lava. The {graceful doul)k' chapel is worthy of notice. Among the churdies may be mentioned the tine large diurcli of .Saint Nicholas, fovinded in the thirteenth century. Eger has numerous educational and diaritable institu- tions. Its manufactures include woolen, cot- ton, and other textile fabric'i. machinery, and leather goods. About four miles to the north of Eger, and reached by a broad avenue, is the watering-place of Franzensbad (<i.v. ). Popula- tion in ISOO (commune), 18,i;.")S; in 1000, 23,- GGo. Eger was founded probably at the begin- ning of the twelfth century, and came into the possession of Bohemia about i;!20. The city sullered greatly in the wars of the Hussites, the Thirty ears' War, and the War of the Aus- trian Succession. EGER, eg'er. See Erlau. EGE'RIA (Lat.. from Gk. myepla). One of the Italian goddesses of streams or springs. She appears as the nymph of the stream in the grove of Diana at Aricia, and also as dwelling near the Porta Capena. at Kome, near the s])Ot where Xuma (q.v. ) consecrated a grove to the kindred goddesses called Camen.'e. Egeria is best known as the divine mistress or wife of Xuma. whose inspiration and advice guided him in his reor- ganizaticin of the ritual of the Roman State. EGERTON, ej'er-ton, Fr.^xcis. See Bridge- water. EGERTON, Francis, Earl of Ellesmere. See ElXESMERE. EGG (AS. wg, leel. egg, OHG. e!, Ger. Ei; con- nected with OChurch Slav, age, gage. l^at. in-uin, Gk. ifSr. Ooii, egg). The present article proposes to consider the external characteristics, qualities, and utilities of the eggs of animals, and more especially of birds, leaving to the articles Em- bryology, Repbouictiox, etc.. their biological relations and development. All animals except Protozoa produce eggs, which are essentially snigle cells of protoplasm, containing a nucleus in which rests the potentiality of life, plus, in most cases, food-material and an integument. Eggs may he produced singly or in very small numbers at long intervals, or frequently and in great numbers ; they may be so minute as to be invisible to the unaided human eye, or may exceed a foot in diameter: and in relative size, as compared with the parent, they may be nearly a quarter as large or less than a millionth; they may never leave the parent except as^ waste matter, or may be extruded, either before or after fertilizjition; finally, those which are 'laid' may be cast out wholly naked to take an infinitesimal chance of survival, or may he more or loss well secured against harm I)y protective coverings, or even become objects of care and protection on the part of the parents. Eggs of Birds. The egg* of birds will be con- sidered first, because they are typical, familiar, and of most interest to the general reader. They are the largest, relatively, to the size of the parent, of any in the aniinal kingdom, due to the fact that the emliryos must reach a higher degree of maturity (and bulk) before hatching than among inferior classes of animals. The egg originates in the ovary, where, as the breed- ing season approaches, a number of them become greatly enlarged, and one by one break loose from the ovarian membranes and begin to descend the oviduct. They arc at tliis time sim[)ly spheres of yolk surrounding a small quantity of germinal l)rotoplasm (the nucleus of the original cell), which appears on the surface of one side, as the ■tread' of popular speech (see Allaxtois; E.mbrvology), and covered with an almost ira- perccptililc membrance, the vitelline meml)rane, formed from the protoplasm of the egg itself. Yolk or deutoplasm is a granular, fatty, nitritive material or highly compact food, stored in the egg for the nourishment of the young. It is of two kinds — white and yellow. The white yolk forms only a thin film over the surface of' the yellow yolk, and passes under the germinative vesicle where it forms a sort of bed. and from this point extends downward to the centre of the yellow yolk. The yolk is compU'ted in tlu> sac- like mouth of the oviduct, and then descends into the oviduct itself, where it is, or may lie, fer- tilized, and along which it descends in a slow spiral course. Here the yellow ball begins to receive its outer coverings, the first of which is the 'white,' or albumen, which is poured out from glands, and consists of about 86 per cent, of water. 12 per cent, of proteids. 1.5 per cent, of fat, and a little salt. This 'white of the egg' is formed in con- centric layers (as may be seen in a hard-ljoiled egg), the innermost of which is .somewhat tena- cious, and is drawn out by the spiral rotation of the egg in its progress into threads at the opposite poles. "These threads," writes Cones,, "which become twisted in opposite directions, . . . are called chahi-w : they are the 'strings' rather unpleasantly evident in a soft-boiled egg, but serve the important office of mooring and steadying the yolk in the sea of white by adhe- sions eventually contracted with the membrane which immediately lines the shell. They are also intrusted with the duty of ballasting, or keeping the yolk right side up. For there is a 'right' side to the yolk-ball, being that on which floats the cicatricle or 'tread.' This side is also the lightest, the white yolk being less dense than the yellow; and the chalazce are attached a little below the central axis. The result is that if a fresh egg be slowly rotated on its central axis the tread will rise by turning of tlic yolk- ball in the opposite direction, till, held by the twisting of the chaln:(e, it can go no further: when, the rotation being continued, the tread is carried under and up again on the other side, resuming its superior position." In view of this it is no longer necessary to believe that brood- ing birds carefully turn their eggs each day in order 'to e<pialize the lieat imparted to them. It is not cssciitial that any part should be kept warm except the germinal vesicle, and this natu- rally remains upi)ermost. TYPES OP ESBS OF A.MERICAX SO-NG BUiDS. 1. Fl.vcntcher, olive-.^iidfil. 2. Fl.vcatolier, vermilion. 3. Flicker, golden-shafted. 4. .Simrrow. Henslow's. 5. Fl.v- <'atcher, ecissor-tailed. 6. Oriole, orchard. 7. Teewee. .SiLV'."". 8. C'uw-liird. a. Indigo bird. 10. llick-cissel. 11. Nittht-hawk. Texan. 12. Swamp sparrow. 13. Veer.v. H. Chewink. 15. Thrasher. 18. Meadow lark. 17. Kaven. IS. Nut-cracker, ly. Wren. Bewick's. 20. Fl.vcatcher. great crested. 21. .lay. Calitoruia. 22. Fhcatcherl ash-thrnateil. 23. Finch. Lincoln's. 24. Blackbird, .rellow-headed. 25. Fl.veatcller. scissor-tailed (variety). 26. Peewee, least or C'hebec. 27. Kingbird. Western. 28. firosheak. black- headed. 29. f'uckoo. yellow-billed. 30. Seed-eater, blaek- faeeil. 31. Blackbird, red-winged. 32. Flycatcher, Aca- dian. 33. Grukle, boat-tailed.