LEIPOA OCELLATA, Gould.
Ocellated Leipoa.
Leipoa ocell’atd;, (foW .^ iii;P ro c . o f\35dol.,;»§(&§.*, O c to b e r 13, 1840.
A ^ ow ^ Jjp rigm eS v p / th e lo w la n d ; Ng'&w^op, o f th e m o u n ta in d is tric ts o f W e s te rn Australia.
Native Pheasant, Colonists' o f W e s te rn A u stra lia .
This beautiful bird is among tlie mos| ij^ ^ e |tih g of the novelties which the little-explored regions of
Australia have lately unfolded to us ; since, by its discovery, and a knowledge of its habits, we are enabled
tp assign to its ^proper family (the Megapodincs) the singular species figured under the name of Talegalla
Lathami.
, The Ocellated Leipoa appears to be more peculiarly suited for a plain and open country than for the
tangled brush; and; it inm o st curious to observe how beautifully the means employed by Nature for the
theKSpecies is adapted to the situations it is Jestiihed :^ ^ ^ ^ p A sketch of its economy,
as % as |t Jias yet been ascertained, has been sent me by Mr. John Gilbert, and is here given in his own words :
The following account of the habits, manners, and nidification of this bird have been detailed to me
by G. Moore,, Esq., Advocate-General, Mi*. Armstrong, the aboriginal interpreter, and some of the more
intelligent natives of Western Australia. Mr. Moore saw a great many of them about sixty miles north
of Perth ; hut its most favorite country appears to be the barren sandy plains interior, 100 mil*«
north a n d f eA tO l^ ^ ^ ^ K is a ground Rfed* tree except when closely hunted; when
pursued it will frequently run its head into a bush, and is then |e^^|thKen. In its actions and manners
it is ^ ^ J lik e the domestic fowl. Its food generally «consists of sgedsand berries. I t has a mournful note,
very like that ^H p ig e o n , but with a more inward tone. The eggs arc deposited in a mound of sand, the
formatiou o ^ p lidKis>th&wofMbf both sexes: the natives say they scratch up th e l s ^ J f ^ m a n y yards
around, forming a mound of about three feet in height; the inside being constructed of alternate layers of
'dried leaves, grasses, &c., among which the eggs are deposited to tjhe^^^ber of twelve and upwards, and
covered up hv^tb^ ^ m i ^ as^laid: or, as the natives express it, ‘ the countenances of the eggs are never-
visible.’ The |^ ^ g ^ S sits u ^® ^ |,-'e g g s ; but when she has laid heR^mnb^the whole are covered up,
after which. tlkTmoi^^pps^^T resembles an ant’s nest. The eggs are hatched by the heat of the sun’s rays,
the vegetable lining of the hillock retaining sufficient warmth during the mgbtir'the eggs are deposited in
layers, no; twp eggs being suffered to lie without a division. They are about the size of a fowl’s egg, and are
white, very shgbtij^ tinged with red. The natives are exceedingly fond of them, and'rob the mounds two or
three t i i ^ ^ i ^ a season; they judge of the probable number’* of eggs in the heap by the quantity of
feathers l^ ^ p ^ o u n d . If these are abundant, they know the hillock ^^fl^wKen they immediately open it
and take the whole; upon which the bird will again commence laying, to, be robbed a second time, and will
frequently lay a third time. Upon questioning one of the men attached to Mr. Moored expedition, he gave
me a similar, account of its habits and mode of incubating; adding, that in all the mounds they opened they
found ants almost as numerous as,jn an ant-hill, and that in many instances that part of the mound surrounding
the lower portion of the eggs had become so hard, they were; obliged % 'cliip round them with
a chisel get!t^^>piifr:: the insides of the mounds^were al^ay^ hot.’’^
Captain Grey, of the 83rd Regiment, who has just returned frid^Bis expedition to the north-west coast,
has also famished me with the following information respecting its range, &c.: “ The farthest point north,”
says this gentleman, “ at which I have seen theffimodin^^aces of this bird, is. Gantheaume Bay. The natives
of King George’s Sound say the same, or a nearly allied species, exists in that neighbourhood^" I have never
fallen in with its nests but in one description of country, viz. where the soil was dry and sandy, and so thickly
wooded with a species of dwarf Leptospermum, that if you stray from the native paths, it is almost impossible
to force your way through. In these close scrubby woods small open glades occasionally, occur, and here
the Ngow-oo constructs its nest, a large heap of sand, dead grass and boughs, at least nuiedeet indiameter,
and three feet in height: I have seen them even larger than this. , Upon one occasion only I saw eggs
in these nests ; ’th.ey were placed some distance from each othe|, and buried in the earth. I am not sure
of the number, but the account given by the natives led me to believe that at times large numbers are
found.”- ^
The OcellatedLeipoa is altogether a more slender and elegantly formed bird than the Wattled Tilegalla,
and moreover differs from that bird in having the head and neck thickly clothed*with feathers, and m beingr_
adorned with a beautifully variegated style of colouring.
Head and crest ilaekish brown ; neck and shoulders dark ash grey; the fore part of the former, from the
chin to the breast, marked by a series of lanceolate feathers, which are black with a white stripe ^own the
centre; back and wings conspicuously marked with three distinct bands of|‘greyish white, brown and black
near the tip o f each feather, the marks assuming an ocellate form, -particularly on the tips of the secondaries
; primaries brown, their outer webs marked with zigzag lines o^ darker brown; rump and upper tail-
coverts brownish grey, the feathers of the latter transversely marked with two or three zigzag lines near
their tip ; all |he under surface light buff, the tips of the flank feathers barred with black; tail blackish
brown, broadly -tipped with buff; bilPbJack; feet blackish brown.
The figures are about two-thirds of the natural size.