152 REMARKS ON MEGAPODIUS BRAZIERI 



p. 247) where he alluded to the occurrence of this form in the 

 islands of Tanna and Sandwich. Mr. Sclater had compared the 

 present specimen with the series of eggs of the birds of this genus 

 in the British Museum, and found it to come nearest to that of 

 Megapodius Pritchardi, G. E. Gray (P.Z.S., 1864, p. 41, pi. vi.) 

 which is figured in Hartlaub and Finsch's Ornithology of 

 Polynesia, plate 2. But it was larger and more deeply coloured 

 than that egg, and appeared to indicate the existence of an 

 undescribed species of Megapode in Banks' Island, for which, 

 following Mr. Gray's example, he suggested the name of 

 Megapodius Brazieri. 



Mr. Brenchley remarks at page 240 in the " Cruise of H.M.S. 

 Curac,oa " — " The natives brought me three large eggs of a bird 

 which lives in the vicinity of those hot waters, that "Wall was of 

 opinion belonged to the genus Megapodius. These eggs, of much 

 greater length than width, and pretty nearly the same size at 

 either end, were of a pinkish tint ; they reminded me that when 

 at the island of Vate, * at the Christian village where Mr. 

 Morrison lived, a native offered me two eggs exactly similar, 

 which I declined, from fear of breaking them. I have heard 

 that a large bird is to be found also in the neighbourhood of the 

 volcano of Tanna." 



The Megapodius Brenchleyi, described by Mr. G. E. Gray, Ann. 

 and Mag. N. H., 1870, Vol. V., 4th series, p. 328, -'Cruise of the 

 Curac^a," page 392, pi. 20, was found at Gulf Island, also called 

 Galfe and Uji, Solomon Group. 



Mr. G. E. Gray distinctly says, "A single specimen of the 

 young bird, and two eggs (unfortunately in a broken state), were 

 obtained at Gulf Island, where they were discovered in the 

 month of September, 1865. These eggs are, both in size and 

 colour, very similar to that of the Megapodius Brazieri, described 

 by Mr. Sclater in Proc. Zool. Soc, 1869, p. 528. In 1864, I 



* Vate is the native, the English name is Sandwich Island of Captain Cook. 



