344 THE WATTLED TALEGALLA, 



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 natives 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 eating, they are eagerly 

 sought after. Some of the natives state that the females are 

 constantly in the neighborhood 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 assist- 

 ing those that may have appeared ; while others have in- 

 formed me that the eggs are merely deposited, and the young 

 allowed to force their way unassisted. In all probability, as 

 nature has adopted this mode of reproduction, she has also 

 furnished the tender birds with the power of sustaining them- 

 selves 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 usually found in eggs of smaller dimensions. 

 In further confirmation of this point, I may add, that in search- 

 ing for eggs in one of the mounds I discovered the remains 

 of a young bird, apparently just excluded from the shell, and 

 which was clothed with feathers, not with down, as is usually 

 the case : it is to be hoped that, those who are resident in 

 Australia, in situations favorable for investigating the subject, 

 will direct their attention to the further elucidation of these 

 interesting points. The upright position of the eggs tends to 

 strengthen the opinion that they are never disturbed after 

 being deposited, as it is well known that the eggs of birds 

 which are placed horizontally are frequently turned during 

 incubation. Although, unfortunately, I was almost too late 

 for the breading season, I nevertheless saw several of the 

 heaps, both in the interior and at Illawarra ; in every instance 

 they were placed in the most retired and shady glens, and on 

 the slope of a hill, the part above the nest being scratched 

 clean, while all below remained untouched, as if the birds had 

 found it more easy to convey the materials down than to 



