THE TRUE MEGAPODES, r8r 
the other. islands, a man brought three eggs, fresh laid. He 
was told to come back again as soon as the vessel returned ; but 
he did not, and Ineversawa nest. I travelled to a place on the 
eastern side of Vate, where I was told there were still a few of 
these birds remaining. . . . I stole along carefully, just 
stepping from one rock to another, and every few yards stop- 
ping behind a tree to listen and reconnoitre... . . Twice, 
I was certain, I heard scratching among the dead leaves, but 
could see no birds. I could have had several shots at fowls 
run wild, but I was after nobler game. At length, as the bats 
were already flitting around my head, I thought it time to re- 
trace my footsteps. I had’ not gone far, when, with a hoarse 
croak, a dark object bounded over the bottom of the water- 
course I was walking in. In the gathering darkness I could 
only see a black mass, like a stone, among the saplings. How- 
ever, as I knew I could not get any nearer, I tried the choke- 
bore at it. The smoke hung round so that I could see nothing, 
and I heard no fluttering among the leaves ; but when I went 
up to-the place there lay my first ‘ Malou,’ shot through the 
head and heart. A little further on I heard the scratching 
(sure sign!) ; but while cautiously peeping round a big tree, an 
envious rotten branch caught against my breast, and broke with 
a loud snap ; and I just got a glimpse of the ‘ Malou’ running 
like a racehorse over a slight elevation close by. Next day I 
was in a ravine so precipitous that I had to get into thesummit 
of a big tree and climb down that way. I had not gone far when 
I heard something that sounded remarkably like a ‘ Malou,’ 
As before, I was in the bed of the watercourse. I looked all 
about the almost perpendicular sides. There was nothing to be 
seen, but the noise still continued; and at last, right in front of 
me, on alittle pebbly bank under a huge rock, I caught sight 
of two splendid ‘Malous,’ slowly retreating, and looking full at 
me. They were evidently old birds, in full breeding plumage, 
their bare red heads and necks shining grandly in a gleam of 
sunshine ; and they carried their absurd little tails stuck straight 
