OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 295 



upon some low branches, they may be seen preening and cleaning 

 their feathers. On one occasion a small troop was met witli on 

 a dry sandy part of a scrub, dusting themselves like barn-door 

 fowls in the sand. The crest, which sometimes obtains an ex- 

 panse of 8 to 9 inches, seems to be immovable, always being 

 carried in the same position. During September to Dcember, 

 before the severe drought had broken up, the Gouras were 

 so plentiful, that nearly two hundred of these fine pigeons 

 were shot. Like other species of Goura, the gizzards of all 

 examined contained one very large pebble, frequently 

 of quartz, the largest obtained being about 1^ inches iu 

 diameter. The natives of Port Moresby prize these pebbles very 

 highly, wearing them suspended round their neck, rolled up in a 

 leaf, as a charm, believing that this insures success in hunting. 



Hah. Cloudy Bay, Blunden River, the Laloki and Goldie 

 Rivers, &c. 



CALCENADID^. 



162. — Cal(ENAs nicobaeica. Linn. Syst. Nat. I, p. 383, n.27 (1766) 

 Salvad. Ann. Mus. Givic Genov. vol. IX, p. 208. 



Large numbers of this fine pigeon were obtained on Deboyne 

 Island and the adjacent islands. There is no difierence between 

 these individuals and those obtained by the Rev. George Brown 

 on New Ireland and Duke of York Islands. 



GALLINiS. 



MEGAPODID^. 



163. — Megapodius du-perreyi, Less. Salvadori and B^Alhert, t. c. 

 p. 838 ; Eamsay, op. cit. I., p. 394 ; id op. cit. III. p. 



This is the common species, usually found in the scrubs on the 

 banks of the Laloki River. The mounds resemble those of the 

 Queensland M. tumulus, being heaps of leaves and debris scratched 

 together to the height of about four feet and about ten feet dia- 

 meter at the base. Eggs of a rich ocraceous or pinkish brown, 

 3*2 in length by 2*06 in breadth. 



