662 



Crcagurg of Natural 



Orthotonms and Frinia. The first described h 

 Tailor Bird (Sylvia sutoria, Latham) is a 

 native of Ceylon, whence its curious nest is 

 very frequently brought. It is for the most 

 part composed of two leaves, one of them 



being dead ; the latter is fixed by the inge- 

 nious bird to the living leaf as it hangs from 

 the tree, by sewing both together, like a 

 pouch or purse ; this is open at the top, the 

 cavity being filled with fine down ; it is sus- 

 pended from the branch, so as in great 

 measure to secure it from the attacks of Rep- 

 tiles and monkeys. Col. Sykes has described 

 another interesting Tailor Bird, from the 

 East Indies. This is the Orthotomus Ben- 

 nettii. It constructs its nest by sewing to- 

 gether the leaves with threads of cotton and 

 with fibres ; in some cases, this naturalist 

 found these threads actually knotted at the 

 end. Professor Savi has described the habits 

 of a species of Sylvia (S. cysticola), common 

 in various parts of Italy, which constructs 

 its nest among sedges and reeds which it 

 unites together by real stitches ; and the 

 edge of each leaf is pierced by this bird with 

 minute holes, through which it passes threads 

 formed of spiders' web, particularly from 

 the silk of their egg-pouches. These threads, 

 as described by the Rev. Mr. Kirby, are not 

 very long, and are sufficient only to pass 

 two or three times from one leaf to another ; 

 there are knots scattered here and there, 

 which in some places divide into two or three 

 branches. 



TALAPOIN. The name given by Buffon 

 to a spedes of Monkey, distinguished by its 

 beautiful variety of green, white, and yellow 

 hair. It is the Cercopithecus Talapoin of 

 zoologists. 



TAL/BOT. A species of Dog, remarkable 

 for its quick scent, and for its eagerness in 

 pursuit of game. 



TALEGALLA. A large gregarious Raso- 

 rial bird, which, according to Mr. Gould, may 

 be considered, in a degree, as the representa- 

 tive of the Turkey in Australia. The plumage 

 of the upper parts of the body, wings, and tail, 

 blackish-brown ; the feathers of the under 

 parts blackish-brown at the base, becoming 

 silvery-gray at the tip ; skin of the head 

 and neck deep pink-red, thinly sprinkled 

 with short hair-like feathers ; wattle bright 

 yellow, tinged with red where it unites with 

 the red of the neck j bill black : feet brown. 

 It is about the size of a Turkey ; and moves 

 about in small companies. When it is dis- 

 turbed, it readily eludes pursuit by the fa- 

 cility with which it runs through the tangled 

 bush. If hard pressed, or rushed upon by 

 their great enemy, the native dog, the whole 

 company spring upon the lowermost bough 

 of some neighbouring tree, and, by a succes- 

 sion of leaps from branch to branch, ascend 

 to the top, and either perch there or fly off" 

 to another part of the brush. It is remark- 

 able that this bird does not hatch its eggs by 

 incubation. It collects together a great heap 

 of decaying vegetables as the place of deposit 

 of its e'ggs, thus making a hot-bed, arising 

 from the decomposition of the collected 

 matter, by the heat of which the young are 



iched. This mound varies in quantity 

 from two to four cart-loads, and is of a per- 

 fectly pyramidical form : it is not, however, 

 the work of a sini 



gle pair of birds, but is the 

 result of the united labour of many ; and 

 the same site appears to be resorted to for 

 several years in succession. " The mode," 

 says Mr. Gould, " in which the materials 



composing these mouuds are accumulated is 

 equally singular, the bird never using its 

 bill, but always grasping a quantity in its 

 foot, throwing it backwards to one common 

 centre, and thus clearing the surface of the 

 ground to a considerable distance so com- 



Cletely, that scarcely a leaf or blade of grass 

 i left. The heap being accumulated, and 

 time allowed for a sufficient heat to be en- 

 gendered, the eggs are deposited, not side by 

 side, as is ordinarily the case, but planted 

 at the distance of nine or twelve inches from 

 each other, and buried at nearly an arm's 

 depth, perfectly upright, with the large end 

 upwards : they are covered up as they are 

 laid, and allowed to remain until hatched. 

 I have been credibly informed, both by na- 

 tives and settlers living near their haunts, 

 that it is not an unusual event to obtain 

 nearly a bushel of eggs at one time from a 

 single heap ; and as they are delicious eat- 

 ing, they are eagerly sought after. Some of 

 the natives state, that the females are con- 

 stantly in the neighbourhood of the heap 

 about the time the young are likely to be 

 hatched, and frequently uncover and cover 

 them up again, apparently for the purpose 

 of assisting those that may have appeared ; 

 while others have informed me that the eggs 

 are merely deposited, and the young allowed 

 to force their way unassisted. In all pro- 

 bability, as Nature has adopted this mode of 

 reproduction, she has also furnished the 

 tender birds with the power of sustaining 

 themselves from the earliest period ; and 

 the great size of the egg would equally lead 

 to this conclusion, since in so large a space 

 it is reasonable to suppose that the bird 

 would be much more developed than is usu- 

 ally found in eggs of smaller dimensions. 

 The eggs are perfectly white, of a long, oval 

 form, three inches and three-quarters long 

 by two inches and a half in diameter." It 

 was originally described by Dr. Latham as a 

 vulture under the name of " the New Hol- 

 land Vulture," and at first sight a dried skin 

 has considerable resemblance to that of some j 

 species of the group. In Australia it is called j 



