154 REMARKS ON MEGAPOD1US . BRAZIERI, 



from Gulf Island in the Solomon Group, is not the same as the 

 If. Brazieri from the Bank's Group. 



I subjoin the following quotation from the Zoological Society's 

 Proceedings for 1874, p. 606, as it throws some light on the 

 distribution of the genus in the South Seas : — 



"A series of eggs of Ifegapodes (Ifegapodhm) transmitted by 

 Mr. John Brazier, C.M.Z.S., was exhibited, and the following 

 notes on them read : — 'I send twenty-four eggs of a species, 

 or of various species of Megwpode, of which fourteen are from 

 Savu or Gal era, or Russell Island ; one from Treasury Island ; 

 and nine from New Britain, all islands of the Solomon Group. 

 I also send one bird in spirits, which was hatched on board 

 ship, August 21st, and died September 8th, 1872; this bird 

 was from a Savu egg. The natives bring these eggs off for 

 sale to passing ships by the tbousand ; they use them raw. 

 I have eaten the eggs when boiled, but do not much care for 

 them, as they have a raw-potato-like taste and smell about them. 

 When boiled, the thin membrane that covers the cilbumen is of 

 a lead-colour ; but when the yolk and albumen are beat together 

 and made into an omelette, as I have seen our cook do, it is not 

 to be known from the common fowl's egg. At New Britain the 

 natives brought them off also in great quantities, like the Savu 

 natives ; in fact one saw the blue jackets eating them all day 

 long, or as long as the eggs lasted. There must have been a 

 great many thousands consumed in two days at both islands. 

 At Treasury Island I obtained four, but I broke two in blowing ; 

 I send one. I also send a very young bird from a New Britain 

 egg. When at San Christoval, I was shown an egg that Perry, 

 a white man living there these last five years, said vvas laid by 

 the ' Wild Fowl ' ; and upon my visiting him a few days after, 

 he had just obtained another from the nest of his domestic fowls. 

 He being in bad health at the time, I did not press him to let mo 

 have it ; and for two days I traversed the mountains with guides 

 to try and obtain specimens of the bird, but without success.' " 



