IGi MKC.M'OUIIIi.'F. 



that locality annually f'jr the purpose. The Lipot occurs in several localities round the south- 

 west coast, especially in the dense cover afforded by the ' Stinkwood ' scrubs, and the laying 

 season there appears to be about December and January. In the country to the east and south- 

 east of Broome Hill many birds still breed, and must be plentiful in some localities, as a surveyor 

 recently assuied me that in running a line through some Ma'adoch scrub, no less than seventeen 

 mounds were seen along a one mile stretch and apparently many of them were in use. I 

 think the birds move about to a considerable extent, as a locality where they nested one season 

 may be ([uite deserted the following year. Last February (1910) I saw a mound about fourteen 

 feet in diameter, the edge of wliich was within four feet of a road, along which was a considerable 

 amount of traffic, yet eggs were taken from that Tnound in iqog, and the birds would, perhaps, 

 have laid again, as I saw some close to it, but an extensive bush fire had swept miles of 

 the surrounding scrub, and made the site a conspicuous object. The iMallee-fowl will frei]uently 

 walk considerable distances along a high road that runs through scrub, and will run in front of 

 a vehicle for some time before taking wing or turning off into the thicket. I watched them on 

 several occasions, and saw birds walking about at sundown. AIoul; the coast of the Great 

 Australian Bight, eastwards from Albany, they are not uncommon, and I am told by local settlers 

 that the birds leave the dense thickets towards the end of summer to feed on the ' Jam ' and 

 Wattle (Acacia) seeds, and get very fat then." 



Mr. S. Ivobinson informs me he found these birds breeding freely at Babmda on the loth 

 November, igo8, and the i6th January, 1910. The bottom layer of seven eggs was eighteen 

 inches from the original earth level, the next tier of three eggs was ten inches above the lowest, 

 and the top one of two eggs about ten inches from the second row. They were all contained in 

 a cavity in the top of the gravel heap, filled with leaves, grasses, twigs, etc. ; the distance between 

 eggs in the same tier being about five inches apart. They were each placed on end as usual, 

 and were so disposed that if accidentally pressed in from the top all the eggs would clear one 

 another. 



Typically the eggs are a compressed ellipse in form, but specimens are sometitnes found 

 rather pointed at one end, the shell being thin, close-grained, smooth and slightly lustrous. When 

 fresh they are of a delicate pink, but after remaining in the mound a few days they become pale 

 purplish-brown, and finally dull reddish-brown when the full complement is laid, those in the 

 lower ring being of course the darkest, all of which as a rule shew scratches by the birds feet 

 when uncovering and covering them up. Five eggs in the .Vustralian Museum Collection, taken 

 from a mound in the Merule Scrubs, about forty miles to the north-west of Caratliool, N.ew South 

 Wales, measure: — Length (A) 3-4 x 2-24 inches; (B) 3-47 x 2-3 inches; (0)3-55 ^ 2-35 

 inches; (0)3-36 x 2-4 inches; (E) 3-67 x 2-27 inches. Four eggs taken in the neighbourhood 

 of Dubbo, in December, 1890, by Mr. T.Martin, measure: — Length (A) 3-62 x 2-22 inches; 

 ('3)3-57 X 2-22 inches; (0)3-56 x 2-27 inches; (D) 3-66 x 2-21 inches. Two eggs of a set 

 of twelve, taken by Mr. Robinson at Babindaon the loth November, 190S, measure respectively: — 

 Length (A) 3-49 x 2-39 inches; (B) 3-8 x 2-45 inches. 



Young in down are dark brown above, and have transverse bars of pale buff; head and neck 

 dark brown, narrowly streaked with pale buff; all the under surface pale brown, becoming 

 slightly darker on the breast, where the down is narrowly streaked with buff. Total length 6-5 

 inches, wing 3-9. 



