I08 Shufeldt, Material for a Study of the Megapodiidcr. [^ 



Emu 



It would seem that, without exception, the eggs of all Megapodes 

 are normally covered with a thin, superficial layer of a chalky 

 incrustation. This thin layer is what gives the egg its distinctive 

 colour, and it may be scarred and scratched through the slightest 

 possible contact with any object or surface which may be hard 

 enough to mark it so. Or, with very little trouble, this entire 

 superficial covering may be removed, or even rubbed off. Below 

 it, the shell of the egg is usually pure white or creamy white, 

 without any markings whatever. 



Again, Megapodes' eggs are often stained, due to the fact that 

 they are covered over with vegetable matter in the mounds 

 where they are laid. Those laid in sand are generally free of 

 such staining, while a good many of them present scratches or 

 other marks. 



At that date (28th August, 1914) the National Museum collection 

 contains but the single egg of Pritchard's Megapode described 

 above, while of M . ciimingi there are three — the one described in 

 a former paragraph and two others ; these latter measure 75.6 x 

 48.7 and 83.3 X 48.8 respectively. Basing an average on these 

 three, we find the egg of Pritchard's Megapode to be 77.2 x 47.2 

 mm. They closely resemble the eggs of the Nicobar Megapode 

 in the matters of form and colour. Ogilvie-Grant says : — 

 " The eggs of Pritchard's Megapode are subject to much variation, 

 being reddish-brown, pinkish, stone-coloured, brown, or whitish. 

 They measure from 2.95 to 3.15 in length, and from 1.6 to 1.9 

 in breadth" ("Cat. B. Eggs B. Mus.," vol. i., p. 17). 



In addition to the egg of Megapodiits nicobariensis described 

 above, I find in the National Museum collection sixty-two more 

 eggs of this species (28th August, 1914). Of these I selected 

 thirteen (13) for descriptive purposes. They were collected by 

 Dr. W. L. Abbott on the 19th of March, 1901, at Great Nicobar 

 Island (Palo Kunyi), and bear the National Museum No. 29,852. 

 Of the remaining forty-nine eggs, forty-two run about the same 

 in the matters of size, colour, and form as those collected by Dr. 

 Abbott. The other seven are much paler in colour, the super- 

 ficial incrustation having probably been removed from each egg, 

 leaving the shell nearly white. I find the largest one of this lot 

 to measure 85.9 x 50.2 — indeed, this is the largest egg of the 

 Nicobar Megapode in the entire lot in the collection. 



Returning to the thirteen eggs collected by Dr. Abbott, we 

 find them, with respect to colour, to be of a uniform light tan of 

 various shades, or, to use Ridgway's nomenclature, egg No. 5, 

 which measures in the list of measurements below 79.2 x 50.0, is 

 of a " pale- vinaceous pink," No. 9 being of a " light pinkish 

 cinnamon," and No. 10 of a " pale pinkish-buff." No. 9 measures 

 80.9 X 52.5 mm., and No. 10 79.3 x 49.6 mm., wliilc all these 

 thirteen eggs range in colour between these two. No. 9 being the 

 darkest and No. 10 the lightest. A medium one is No. 13, being 

 a " vinaceous pink " in shade (measures 84.1 x 50.0 mm.) 



