148 



Younger birds are rufous brown beneath, only the chiu and 

 throat being greyish. 



Bill light greenish to yellowish ; lores and sides of head red ; 

 irides brown ; tarsus and toes dark horny, sometimes greenish in 

 front ; back and sides of tarsi and tibio-tarsal joint dull red ; soles 

 pale carneous, sometimes pale yellow (Hume). 



Length 16 ; tail 3; wing 9 ; tarsus 2'75 ; bill from ape 1-25. 



Fig. 30. Head of M. nicobaricnsis. 



Distribution. The Nicobar Islands. No Megapodes occur at the 

 Andamans, but some are said to have been seen at Table Island iri 

 the Cocos, where Hume found some hillocks that might have been 

 old nest-mounds. 



Habits, $c. This Megapode keeps near the sea- shore in scrub 

 and jungle, and is found in pairs, or in flocks that may contain at 

 times 30 to 50 birds. It runs rapidly, and does not take flight 

 till pressed, and it has a cackling call. It feeds on land-mollusca 

 and insects, with vegetable substances. Like other members of the 

 genus, these Megapodes lay their eggs in a large mound built by 

 themselves of vegetable matter covered with sand, the heat pro- 

 duced by the decay of dead leaves &c. apparently sufficing for 

 incubation. The eggs are elongate ovals, very large for the size 

 of the bird, ruddy pink when first laid, and they measure about 

 3'25 by 3*07. These birds are delicious eating. 



