230 NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



the thick brush near the sea-shore. Some species go in large flocks, the Megapodius 

 nicobariensis having been met with in coveys of from thirty to fifty, but the majority 

 of this genus are more usually met with in pairs and in quite small parties. They are 

 natives of Australia, New Guinea, the islands of the eastern archipelago, and of the 

 Pacific Ocean. As their habits and economy are generally alike, a description of 

 those of M. tumulus from Australia will answer for all the species of the genus. 



The Australian megapode is accustomed to seize with his foot amass of soil, dead 

 leaves, and other kinds of vegetable matter, and with a powerful kick backwards 

 throw it to a common centre. The males assist the females in the operation of build- 

 ing the mound. By the constant accumulation of soil, and vegetable refuse, a conical 

 mound is built, and this is added to year after year by the original builders, or others, 

 perhaps their descendants, until they grow to a size that is almost incredible. One, 

 the largest that seems to be on record, was situated on the island of Nogo in 



o . o 



Endeavour Straits, and measured no less than 150 feet in circumference ; and to form 

 this huge accumulation of materials the ground had been scraped bare in the vicinity, 

 even some shallow excavations having been made. The larger end was elevated 14 

 feet above the ground, and the slope measured in different directions 18, 21^-, and 

 24 feet. Usually these mounds are formed of a light vegetable soil, but occasionally 

 they consist of sifted gravel intermixed with portions of soil and decayed wood, and 

 are generally conical in form ; but one specimen was described as resembling a bank 

 from twenty-five to thirty feet in length, with an average height of five feet. Some 

 of these mounds are doubtless very ancient, and trees a foot in diameter have been 

 found growing from the centre of the mass. After a mound has been constructed, or 

 an old one rebuilt and arranged to suit them, the eggs are laid at a depth of five 

 to six feet from the surface, the hen scratching a hole in the vegetable matter for 

 the purpose. It is then covered and left. The eggs are always deposited at night, 

 and the holes in which they are placed generally run in an oblique direction so that 

 they are nearer the side of the mound than they are to the summit. The exact num- 

 ber laid by a hen is not known, but four have been taken at one time. After the hen 

 has laid her complement of eggs, they are left to be hatched by the heat of the decom- 

 posing mass, and the chick appears fully feathered and able to fly. How the young 

 make their way to the surface is a mystery, but once out they can take care of them- 

 selves very well. At first they remain about the mound, but in a few days they may 

 be found a long distance from it, and if disturbed they run off, or fly into some tree 

 for refuge. These mounds are always constructed in some dense thicket, never in the 

 open field, and it can generally be known when a bird has visited any one of them by 

 the tracks left upon its sides. The megapode never goes far inland, keeping about 

 the beach or along the banks of creeks. It feeds on roots, which it scratches up with 

 its powerful claws, seeds, berries, and insects. It is very shy and rarely seen. The 

 flight is heavy and not continued, and generally, when disturbed, the bird takes refuge 

 in a tree. At night they keep up a noisy cackling, and utter a hoarse note during the 

 day. The eggs are white, but after being deposited, a crust, colored somewhat ac- 

 cording to the soil in which it is placed, forms upon the shell, Avhich, however, readily 

 chips off. They vary in size, but are about 3^ by 2 inches, and both ends are 

 equal. The Australian megapode is about the size of a common fowl. They possess 

 a complete, thick, and muscular gizzard. The Nicobar megapode, M. nicobariensis, 

 seems to differ slightly in certain of its habits from the Australian species, for the 

 natives state that a pair and all its progeny use and add to a mound year after year, 



