142 LEAVES FROM THE 



quicksilver rose to 99^°. In 'some that were addled lie 

 found the heat not so high by two degrees ; so that, as 

 he observes, the life in the living egg assisted in some 

 degree to support its own heat. We have no statement 

 of the heat of these procreant mounds at hatching-time, 

 but the tallegalla, without any aid but that which comes 

 from above, knows exactly the time when they have ar- 

 rived at that degree of temperature necessary for hatch- 

 ing the eggs, and which, probably, closely approximates 

 to that which Hunter found to prevail in the sitting 

 hen. 



Mr. Gould was credibly informed, both by natives and 

 settlers living near the haunts of these birds, that it is 

 not unusual to obtain nearly a bushel of eggs at one time 

 from a single heap, and delicious eating they are said to 

 be. There seems to be some discrepancy as to the degree 

 of care manifested by the parents for then oviplantation, 

 some of the natives stating that the females are con- 

 stantly in the neighbourhood of the heap about hatching- 

 time, frequently uncovering the eggs and covering them 

 up again, as if for the purpose of assisting the young 

 birds that may have broken their prison, whilst others 

 informed Mr. Gould that the eggs are merely deposited, 

 and the young left to force their way out without 

 assistance. 



If the latter information be correct, the question arises 

 as to how the newly-hatched birds are sustained ; and 

 Mr. Gould observes that, in all probability, as Nature 

 has adopted this mode of reproduction, she has also 

 gifted the young birds with the power of sustaining 

 themselves from the earliest period ; and he remarks, 

 that the great size of the egg would lead to this conclu- 

 sion, since in so comparatively large a space as that in- 

 cluded in the area of one of these eggs, it is reasonable 

 to suppose that the bird would be much more developed 

 than is usually found to be the case in eggs of smaller 



