14-4. LEAVES FROM THE 



everything that lay upon the surface to add to the mound, 

 which was about three feet high and ten feet over. On 

 placing his arm in it, Mr. Gould found the heat to be 

 about 90° or 95° Fahr. He saw the bird, which was a 

 male, strutting about with proud and majestic port, 

 ' sometimes parading round the heap, at others perching 

 on the top, and displajdng its brilliantly-coloured neck 

 and wattle to the greatest advantage : this wattle it has 

 the power of expanding and contracting at will ; at one 

 moment it is scarcely visible, while at another it is 

 extremely prominent.' 



Here was an instance of the uncontrollable power of 

 instinct. This solitary bird perseveringly continued to 

 construct its mound and keep it ready for the mate, 

 which it was never destined to see. It was unfortunately 

 drowned, and then its sex was discovered upon dissection. 



Leipoa ocellata, the ngoiu of the aborigines of the 

 lowland, the ngoiu-oo of those of the mountain districts 

 of Western Australia, and the native pheasant of the 

 Western Australian colonists, is the next form of this 

 anomalous family that claims our notice. 



The head and crest are of a blackish-brown hue, and 

 a dark ashy grey pervades the neck and shoulders. 

 From the chin to the breast the forepart of the neck is 

 covered with black lanceolate feathers, with a white 

 stripe down the centre of each. Three distinct bands of 

 greyish-white, brown, and black, mark the back and 

 wings, the marks taking an ocellated form, especially on 

 the tips of the secondaries. The primaries are brown, 

 and have their outer webs pencilled with two or three 

 zigzag lines near their tips. The whole of the under 

 surface is light buff, and the tips of the flank feathers 

 are barred with black. The blackish-brown tail has a 

 broad buff tip. The bill is black, and the feet are 

 blackish-brown. 



This species lays its eggs in a mound of sand, about 



