144 Leach, The Birds of Victoria. [^ '^Dec^''''* 



as scratchers. They include the domestic fowl, which has been 

 derived from the wild jungle fowl of India. Quail are also in- 

 cluded here ; so are pheasants. The absence of pheasants from 

 Australia is more than compensated for by the presence of the 

 mound-builders — those marvellous birds which retain the rep- 

 tilian characteristic of not sitting on their eggs. Thus the 

 young have never known their parents. The eggs are laid in 

 a huge mound of sand and earth, which covers rotting vegetation. 

 The heat of decomposition is quite sufficient to hatch the eggs. 

 The young are born fully feathered, able to run at once, and 

 able to fly the day they leave the mound. Contrast their stage 

 of development with that of a pigeon born naked, blind, and 

 helpless, and that of a chick born clothed with down and able 

 to run about. There is an interesting connection between the 

 size of an egg and the state of development of the young bird 

 at birth. The pigeon lays a relatively small Qgg, so the young 

 pigeons do not develop far in the egg, and require much 

 maternal care. The hen's egg is larger, and the chick is more 

 fully developed. The Mallee-Hen's egg is enormous, and so the 

 young can develop much further before birth. This bird, un- 

 fortunately, is doomed to early destruction, as the fox has 

 discovered the rich store of food in the eggs, and Mallee farmers 

 have also discovered that they are delicate in flavour and con- 

 tain much meat. Bird-lovers are trying to get the scrubby 

 western end of Kangaroo Island, where foxes are unknown, as 

 a sanctuary for them. 



In the next order — Turniciformes — the button or bustard 

 quails, which have no hind toe, are placed, though one bird, the 

 interesting Australian Collared Plain- Wanderer, has that toe. 



In order four — Columbiformes — come the cooers (doves and 

 pigeons). Australia is well off for pigeons, and we have eight 

 kinds in Victoria. Dr. Newton has declared that our common 

 Bronze- wing Pigeons are amongst the most beautiful of the 

 world's pigeons. Our large Wonga Wonga Pigeon is said to be 

 one of the best eating, and it is proposed to introduce it into 

 Europe to breed for table purposes. Its scientific name means 

 " white flesh." 



Next in order come the long-toed, mud-walking water-hens, 

 crakes, and rails, belonging to the order Ralliformes. Their 

 long toes enable them to walk over soft mud Avithout sinking. 

 Water-hens are known to all. Indeed, when I finish I expect to 

 have created in your mind an idea that bird study is very 

 simple — that you know at least one of each of the groups of 

 birds. 



One further advantage of bird study is that so few birds are 

 found in any district. Thus, only 395 have ever been recorded 

 from Mctoria, whereas there are over 2,000 kinds of native 



