1. MEGAPODItrs. 447 



b". Outer webs of the outer primaries pale 



brown tmimbermsis.Ta. A4S. 



b. Lnderpuits dai-k gi-ey c«7«iV, p. 449. 



c Lnderparts dark brown sanghiren.k, p. 450. 



«? . Underparts rufous bro«Ti bermteini, p. 450. 



b. .Mantle grey or dark gi-ey, forming a distinct 

 contrast with the coloration of the rest of 

 the upper parts. 

 e'. Legs dark (olive-browu or dark olive), 

 c". Feathers on the forehead extending to 

 the base of the culmen. 



?,'■ ^''n^ brownish grey forsteni, p. 451. 



b . iielJy brown brumieiverUris, p. 452. 



d . J^orehead naked with the exception of 



a few minute plumes eremita, p. 452. 



/ . l-egs orange-red. ^ 



e\ Flanks blackish gi-ey macgillivrayi, p. 453. 



/ .Flanks dark chestnut duperreyi, p. 454. 



c. Mantle and general colour of upper parts 

 blackish grey, 

 fj'. Head blackish gi-ey, like the rest of the 

 upper parts. 



C- V*""* ^'^'^f' ; freycineti, p. 457. 



n . Legs yellow or red. 



c\ Fore part of the head feathered .... geelvinkianus, p. 459. 



i, J^-,™P''""tofthe head naked layardi, v,. -^b^. 



h . Head French gi-ey laperousii, p. 400. 



B. Basal part of the pnmanes white pritchardi,^. 461. 



1. Megapodius nicobariensis. 



Megapodius nicobarien.ris, Blyth, J. As. 8oc. Beng. xv. pp. 52, 372 



P. AS. 8bl, p.090, 1804, p. 43; v. Pelz^ Reiee Novara, v/g. 

 p. 110, pis- IV. & VI. tig. 12 [<,cr.r] (1865) ; Ball, J. A.s. Soc. Bern. 

 xxxix p. -32 (18/0) ; id. Sir. F. i. p. 82 (1873) [Nicobars] ; Hume, 



\L'- W-}'^ ^^^'^^ ' *''• ^^''- ^- ''• PP- ^1. -'"« [Great Cocos?! 

 lV,f'^^.<l*'^); ^'""'^ ^ ^'^^"'•s/i. Game B. Ind. i. p. 119, pi 

 ^ 1 >. '/i"."^r"^PP' !'• ■^-^' P'- "• (^880); Oustal. Ann. Sci. Nut. xi. 

 p. IlJ (lb81) ; Oate^, ed. Hume's Nests i^- Eggs, iii. p. 449 (1890). 

 Megapodius triukutensis, Sharpe, Ann. Mag. N. H. (4) xiii p 448 

 (1874) [Truikut, Nicobars] ; Walden, Ann. Ma,/. X. H. (4)'xiT. 

 p. 103 (1874) [Nangcowry, Camorta, Katschal,"and Trinkut Is.! 

 Nicobars]; Hu7ne, Sd: F. ii. p. 499 (1874). 



Adult male and female *. Top of the head reddish or olive- 

 browu ; sides of the cro wn firom behind the eyes, the occiput, and 



A:*TT^T''-*P^'''"?T',''**'''^'^^"'''''^''*'>''""«''^''e'l ''T Tweeddale (Ann Mag. 

 i>. U. (-i) XIV. p. KhJ, 18,4), have a curious teudoucy to lose the leathers on the 

 crown and assume a naked callosity. In a female adult from Xangcowrv I 

 the crown .s entirely naked and covered with a thick black-looking skm, which 

 appears almost ot the nature of a scab ; the saa.e peculiarity is equally developed 

 in an immatui-e male from Camorfi ; while in three other speciiueustboth adult 

 and imu.ature the crown is partially denuded and the skiu is ol the same black 

 colour. In aU the other specimens the skin of the top of the he;id is red 



I am of opinion that the naked head in the aboye-mentioned specimens is 

 aonormal, and possibly caused by disease. 



