i t varies in size to rn ttw fo fow cart-loads and is ofia perfectly p^midaHorm. HEhe M M l < * * *
moimd is not die wort o f one pair of birds, Bit is effected By foe ifmted labtmrsfof several; the game site
appears to inef from the great size and the.entjre d,ecomposition^the lower p a rt to be resorted to for several
Years in succession, the birds adding a S K j f i o f materials on each occasion previous to e in g .
TUe made in which the materials composing these mounds are accumulated^ b-rX
never usingots hill, bufelways grasping a quantity in its foot, thrown® it^ackwards t o ^ y g m ^ u ^ n f r e , '^ .
C id thus dewing the surface of the ground for a ponderable, ddstanc^so^compictely, f o p ^ c e l y a leaf or
a blade of grass is left The heap being accumulated, andjim^a&pwèd for. a «fflcieef h ea tto b e engen.%efo
the eggs are deposed, qot 'd e by side, as is ordmardy the' c a s ^ h p t planted at the di tanceofnine
or twelve i n c h e ïW each other, and Ip p ed a t nearly annrnfpfeïfo» perfectiy u j ^ h t , » f r t h e large-end
upTOrds ■ they are covered up as they are laid, and allowed to remain until hatched, I-have been credibly, I
informed h-oth b ^E v e s 'a n d settlers living near th d r haunts, that it is V an unusual-event ^ o b ta in nearly
f b n s h d o f eggs at pne time from j i n g l e heap; and as they are delicious eating, foey.fo-e eagerly sought
after Some of the natives state g a t the females we constantly in tkeueighhourhpod of foe heap about the
time the young arc likely to he hatched, and fre.1ue4.tly uns-ver ard coyer then.-up .again, apparently for foe
purpose oè assisting, those that may have appeared; whilc.fifoers have idanned-me that foe eggs are merely
atiH the r n ^ nliowcd to force their wav unassisted, . In idlBl&Wdy- Na?ure has, adopted this
mdifc of reproduction, she has also furnished the tfflder birds w a tt the power o.f sustaining themselves
from the gaoliest period; and the,_great s ^ . of. the egg would equally f e j j o -thij.conclusion, spjitóin so
large a space it is reasonable to suppose that the b.ird-would be much more deve lop^ than «„usually f y g jg ,
in eggs of smaller Himenvinns, In further confirmation-of fort point, I may-add, that ip searching.for eggs
Kronen of. the mounds X discovered the remams of p y o vm ^ rd , apparently just excluded frojg^e^iöU, and
which was dothedwith feathers, not withdown, as is usually the it is tojbe hoped tha^%se„who a5e
resident in Australia, in situations feyaurable for investigating 4he -sublet, will g r e e t e r ; attgsgjn to .g e
forther elucidatipn of these iiïlre s ti^ p ow ts . Tbeupright .petition of the eggs teqds-to strengthen the
opimon that they axe never disturbed after being "deposited, a j.it is welllfoown that the ïggs.of birdswhich
:,r . arc frequently turned during incubation. Although, unfortunately, 1 was almost top
late for the breedfog season, I nevertheless saw several of the heaps, >x>th -in the interior and a t j ^ w ^ a . ,
in everyjJnstangeAhey were placed in the most retired and shady glens, and on the slope p f | ^ ^ ^ ^ e j i a r t ,,
above the lie« b jtig scratched c lc a^y fo ik a ll below remained untouched, as if the birds had found ' t W ‘|
easy to convey the materials down than to throw them up. In « * instance only .wan I fortunate enojjgfoto
find a perfect egg, although the shells of many from which the young had been e lu d e d were placed- in the
maiïncf 1 have desmb«!. At lllawarra they were rather deposited in the light vegetable mould J h to
among theleaves which formed a considerable heap above them TJle eggs arc p|£ectly 'white; OfVfon^oral
" i , r ^ jncbciT^ d three-onartors long by two. I n c h e s &e e |g .A fg is > rd
was subsequently presented to me by J . H. Plunkett, Esq., Attorgsy^ieneral, New South W a j s ^ ^ .
While stalking about the wood they frequently utter aja th e rJo u d clucking noise, t and ingmjons parts of
the brush I observed depressions in the earth, which the -nativea'informed me wérfe madevbythethirds in'
rin sting themselves. - . . _ ■
The stomachfis'extremely m nsciiWand tEe'cropxof one dissected was filled with seeds, ifertigB, And
a few i i js e e tö ^ ^ ’- ' ■ •- -i~~- RPR j -■ g v f- - r ■ ' ■
^ ^ h a v f e afrepdy aHudgd to its etgOSBtj for domestjqatioSsvfoid^hSvéilJie gratification/ dF&ddnig? that a.
living specimen wad in the possession of Mr. Alexander MacLeay for, several years; during,which--it was-
m'ostlv a t large; and MtraHy asswnafed witk-ifilfetfowfe in the poultry-yard. On m y am v tf at % dney this
venerable gentleman took me into his garden and showed m‘e the bird, which, as ifrin its jnativebwoods,
had fox two sufoesskeryeate collected an- immense mass of. material ; similar to ; ifcséïriboi^ijieÊrfoedi
The borders, lawn and shrubbery over which i t vwö aBowedtOTange ptesented an appearance,a#if regulariy
swepfofrian-fthe bird having scratched to oife Tcemmoh centre evtSfythii® that <h*v«w#W't
xntmT;ii'' iii this case was about three feet and a half high, and ten feet over. On placing ïny arm in^it
I found thé h e a t to he about frOT ,95! F ahr.. The bird itself was strutting about with a proud and majestic
air, sometimes parading round the heap, a t others perelimg On the top, arid displaying' its brilliantly
vèofohredlneek and wattle to the greatest advantage; this wattle it has the power of expanding and coritrjet-
' ing at will; at one moment it is scafee^rtvisible, while at another it is extremely prominent,
before I left.Nrav:fhnlh Wales h fi,J É & e a f s bird had nfot an untimely eadhy felling- int».», tank or
water-butt; occasioned, i t was eohje^péd, by « tó n g the wfieefiomof its ojrti i» ^ e im th eW 3 ter,,«nd rushing
forward to a i d s snj®osed antagonist. On dfoteetiw tins individual was found tu be a 'm ^ e , tbere^i'
BHivfofe tifot th e s s t e ^ ^ e i p r t y employed in f e r t ® the mound for the ree£ptioifi«f flie eggs.
■ After, all fee fects that have been stated,.! trust it wili be evident that its natural situation is among the
Rasores, and that it forms Qne o f' a great family of birds peculiar to Australia and the Indian islands,of
which Megapodius forma a p a rt; and in confirmation.of this view I may add, that the sternum has the two
deep emargihations so t ^ ; irfoèriftériWê of the GMimcea; at all events, it is in no way allied to foe
Vultundat, and is nearly as far removed from Mcnura.
' ' ïliSMfjsSfo haye w fo ^ to f foe upper surface, wings and tail^blackish brown; foe feafoetofof foe
under surface blackish brown at the base, bceouiing silvery grey at the tip ; skin of the head and neck deep
pink fed, thinly sprinkled with short hair-Eke blackish brown feathers; wattle bright yellow, tinged with
red where; it unites with the red- of foe heck; hill black; iridgs and feet brown.
-Thg female, which is about tr fourth less than the male in size, is so closely the same in-, colour as to
yA' .vender, a separate description unnecessary. She also possesses the wattle, but not to so great an extent*
• The figure is about two-thirds the size of life .' ‘