HOW EGGS-TRAORDINARY!

By Sonia A. Randall

The Biblical account of the creation of the world in Genesis gives us broad outlines and we marvel at the immensity of it all! But God/s attention for the very smallest details of his creation is just as striking.

The chicken egg is so familiar to us that we don't think of it as being anything special. But the way the chick develops in the shell, cushioned and nourished by the yolk, and sipping on the white, is a wonderful design.

Variety in shape helps each egg species survive in its own habitat. Birds which nest on rock ledges, like guillemots, lay tapered eggs which roll in a circle if disturbed. This prevents the egg from rolling off the ledge. Rounded eggs are laid by birds which nest in cup-shaped nests where rolling is not a problem.

Size is another difference. The largest eggs laid are those of the ostrich – eight inches long and weigh over three pounds. At the other end of the scale is the Cuban bee-hummingbird which lays its pea-sized eggs in a thimble-sized nest. These eggs weigh only a fraction of an ounce.

Differently colored eggs often escape predators. Birds that nest in dark holes lay plain white eggs. Others, like terns, plovers, and whip-pooor-wills, which nest on exposed ground have sand-colored eggs. Nest-building birds lay light-colored eggs with spots or dark streaks to help camouflage them.

Eggs need the proper temperature to survive whether they dwell on an icy glacier or in the scorching desert. Here, again, God has given the parent birds some extraordinary instincts for the care of their eggs. In the Antarctic the emperor penguin must keep its egg from freezing. As soon as the female lays her one egg on the ice, the male quickly rolls it up onto his feet. It is held in place with a special fold of skin. Without eating the entire time, he incubates the egg for two months in temperatures which may reach -76 F.

The exhausted female penguin goes back to the sea to feed and returns when the chick is ready to hatch. She then takes over the care of the chick, also holding it on her feet, while the male returns to the sea to eat and recover his strength.

Birds which raise their young in very hot climates have to keep their eggs cool. Many of them will stand over their eggs, wings spread, to provide shade. A stork in Australia (called a jabiru) carries water in its beak to spray over its eggs. The Egyptian plover cannot carry much water so it soaks its breast feathers in water and hurries back to sprinkle its eggs.

God has endowed each of the world's more than 8600 bird species with just the right instincts to take care of their eggs and their chicks. What loving attention to detail!

Sonia A. Randall writes from Corvallis, Oregon. Sonia@Randallclan.net