@classmethod
def from_external_array_references(cls, ears, **kwargs):
    """
        Construct a collection from a (nested) iterable of
        `asdf.ExternalArrayReference` objects.
        """
    shape = ears[0].shape
    dtype = ears[0].dtype
    target = ears[0].target
    for i, ele in enumerate(ears):
        uris = cls._validate_homogenaity(shape, target, dtype, ears)
    return cls(uris, target, dtype, shape, **kwargs)
