166 LOMBOCK. 



ers in never sitting upon their eggs, which they bury in sand, 

 earth, or rubbish, and leave to be hatched by the heat of the 

 sun or of fermentation. They are all characterized by very 

 large feet and long curved claws, and most of the species of 

 Megapodius rake and scratch together all kinds of rubbish, 

 dead leaves, sticks, stones, earth, rotten wood, etc., till they 

 form a large mound, often six feet high and twelve feet across, 

 in the middle of which they bury their eggs. The natives can 

 teU by the condition of these mounds whether they contain 

 eggs or not ; and they rob them whenever they can, as the 

 brick-red eggs (as large as those of a swan) are considered a 

 great delicacy. A number of birds are said to join in making 

 these mounds and lay their eggs together, so that sometimes 

 forty or fifty may be found. The mounds are to be met with 

 here and there in dense thickets, and are great puzzles to 

 strangers, who can not understand who can possibly have 

 heaped together cart-loads of rubbish in such out-of-the-way 

 places ; and when they inquire of the natives they are but lit- 

 tle wiser, for it almost always appears to them the wildest 

 romance to be told that it is all done by birds. The species 

 found in Lombock is about the size of a small hen, and en- 

 tirely of dark olive and brown tints. It is a miscellaneous 

 feeder, devouring fallen fruits, earth-worms, snails, and cen- 

 tipedes, but the flesh is white and well-flavored when properly 

 cooked. 



The large green pigeons were still better eating, and were 

 much more plentiful. These fine birds, exceeding our largest 

 tame pigeons in size, abounded on the palm-trees, which now 

 bore huge bunches of fruits — mere hard globular nuts, about 

 an inch in diameter, and covered with a dry green skin and a 

 very small portion of pulp. Looking at the pigeon's bill and 

 head, it would seem impossible that it could swallow such 

 large masses, or that it could obtain any nourishment from 

 them ; yet I often shot these birds with several palm-fruits in 

 the crop, which generally burst when they fell to the ground. 

 I obtained here eight species of kingfishers, among which was a 

 very beautiful new one, named by Mr. Gould Halcyon fulgidus. 

 It was found always in thickets, away from water, and seemed 

 to feed on snails and insects picked up from the ground after 

 the manner of the great laughing jackass of Australia. The 



