BY J. BRAZIER, C.M.Z.S., ETC. 151 



I find in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 

 1869, p. 528, the undermentioned information : " The Secretary 

 exhibited, on behalf of Mr. John Brazier, C.M.Z.S., a specimen 

 of an egg of a species of Megapodius from Banks' Islands, and 

 read the following notes by Mr. Brazier concerning it : — ' The 

 egg I send the Society I obtained, with four other specimens, at 

 Vanua Lava, or the Great Island in Banks' Group, 13° 52' S. 

 lat., 1C9° 4' E. long., situated near the New Hebrides group. 

 The bird is well known to the inhabitants of Banks' Island ; and 

 my specimens were purchased of a native. The Megapodius that 

 lays this egg builds its mound on the mountains near the sulphur 

 springs. The natives told me that the mound is large ; or as 

 they expressed it, a ' big-fellow house.' The contents of the eggs 

 were good eating. When I was on shore collecting shells, &c., 

 at Sandwich Island, New Hebrides, a native offered me two eggs 

 for sale, but he wanted more than I felt inclined to give him for 

 them. I believe my friend Sir W. S. "Wiseman took four or five 

 of the very same egg, that had been brought alongside of the 

 ship at Vanua Lava, or Great Island. When I had bought my 

 specimens from the natives, I set out at once for the mountains 

 to obtain, if possible, some of the birds ; but it came on to rain, 

 and night setting in, I had to return to the ship. Our stay there 

 was only one day, for the greater part of which it rained. I was 

 the first naturalist that had ever landed on the island to collect 

 specimens of natural history. I should mention that I obtained 

 the eggs on the 21st of August, 1865. I send you one specimen ; 

 one I keep myself ; and the other I sent to Mr. Krefft, for 

 our National Museum." 



The statement that I kept one for myself was not quite correct. 

 I retained three of the eggs, two of which I have since presented 

 to the Hon. W. Macleay and Dr. Cox, respectively. 



Mr. Sclater stated that he was not aware of any previous record 

 of the existence of Meffapodim in the group of the New 

 Hebrides, except the short notes of Dr. Bennett (P.Z.S., 1862, 



