20 



Shufeldt, Material for a Study of the Megapodiidce. [i^f""}"] . 



in Kangean Island, Lesser Sunda Islands, New Guinea, and 

 Northern Australia. 



Formerly this bird was known as Megapodius tumulus (Plate 

 III., fig. 7), and not a few ornithologists continue to so describe it. 



Le Souef {Ibis, 1899, p. 16) states that M. duperreyi, although 

 the birds are " very poor fliers," occurs on the scrub-covered 

 islands " a good many miles from the N.E. coast of Queensland. 

 He surmises that they may have been blown out during cyclones " 

 (Lister). 



There is considerable hterature on this well-known bird, and 

 there is a fair series of skins in the collection of the United States 

 National Museum.* 



The following skins arc in the United States National Museum 

 collection : — 



No. 71,573, ?, ad. — {Megapodius tumulus) ; Cape York, Queensland. 

 No. 71,843 (sex ?) — " Megapodius tumulus,'' x\ustralia. (A mounted 



specimen, with crest raised.) 

 No. 146,782, •?, ad. — Mus. Boucard. Bruijn, collector, 1876, 



Doktur, N. Guinea. 

 No. 146,783 (sex ?)— Ditto. 

 No. 146,784, S. — Coll. Laglaize, 1877. 

 No. 146,785, o. — Sormg, 1884. 



All these were formerly in the Mus. Boucard. 



Megapodius freycineti. 

 (Q. and G., p. 457.) 



This is a species found in the Moluccas and West New Guinea, 

 of which considerable is known. t 



The general plumage-colour of Freycinet's Megapode is a deep 

 black, and it presents the usual characters of these birds with 

 respect to its feet and form of the body. On the occiput the 

 feathers are lengthened to produce a crest, which, though not 

 long, is full and somewhat conspicuous when elevated. 



I found six (6) skins of this species in the collection of the United 

 States National Museum for my examination. They seem to 



* Lister, Jos. J., toe. cit., p. 749 ; Lesson, " Traitc d'Oni.," p. 478, pi. 

 Ix.xxvii., fig. I ; Buffon, " Oiseux," p. 256, pi. x., fig. i (1840); Reichens, 

 " Tauben," p. 3, pi. cclxxv., fig. 1,530 (1862) ; Dorey, " New Guinea," 1861, 

 pp. 290, 438, pi. xxxiii. (juv.) ; Gray, P. Z. S., 1861, p. 290, pi. xxxiv., three 

 plates (excellent), juv., of M. quoyii, M. reimvardii, and M. titmutus (and 

 others). 



f M. Freycinet, " Voyage .^utour du Monde . . . sur les Corvettes 

 dc S.M. L'Uranic et La Physicicnne, 1817-1820," Paris, 1825 ; on p. 125 

 it will be noted that Quoy and Gaimard found Me<^apodius freycineti on 

 Waigiou Island, to the west of New Guinea. Ogilvie-Grant {loc. cit., p. 458) 

 gives a brief description of the species, &c. Lesson, " Man. d'Orn.," ii., 

 p. 225(1828); id. " Traite d'Orn.," p. 479 (1831); id. " Compl. de Buif., 

 Ois.," p. 257, pi. viii., fig. I (1840); in the first cited M. freycineti — 

 Alecthelia urvitlei. Oustalet (loc. cit., vol. xi., p. 69), in speaking of the 

 night of Megapodes, says: — "A young specimen of M. freycineti flew on 

 board La Coqitillc with a favouring breeze when that vessel was over two 

 miles from land." 



