The Mound-builders 33 



ingly, where Moleos are encountered in the interior of 

 Celebes, there warm springs will be found not far off. The 

 Moleo thus makes use of the two inorganic sources of 

 warmth by which its eggs are to be hatched, viz., on the 

 one hand the sun, on the other warm springs, though other 

 Megapodes make use of the heat produced by the ferment- 

 ation of vegetable matter placed over their eggs. Of the 

 influence of the warm springs we found further confirmation, 

 for near another still hotter spring, in which one could not 

 keep one's hand, and which had formed a considerable pool, 

 Moleo-pits were again found. We had them dug out, and 

 procured two eggs for our rapidly-diminishing larder. 

 Finally, we came across a third spring, and observed 

 Moleo-pits near it also.' Later on the Sarazins found 

 similar Moleo-pits also on the Lokon Volcano, in ground 

 strongly heated by hot steam." 



The above extract may be rather long, but I hope that 

 my readers will peruse it carefully, for it is one of the most 

 suggestive narratives of the ' Wonders of the Bird World ' 

 with which I am acquainted, and is quite new to English 

 students of natural history. When Gould made his 

 celebrated journey to Australia to study the life of the 

 native animals of that wonderful continent, he considered 

 his discovery of the nesting-habits of the Mound-builders 

 as one of his greatest achievements, and since his day many 

 facts have come to light respecting the habits of these truly 

 extraordinary birds. 



Our final note on the Megapodes must be devoted to 

 the life of the nestlings. Writing of the Lzpoa or Ocellated 

 Megapode of Australia, the late Sir George Grey sent the 

 following note to Mr. Gould from " Government House, 

 Adelaide, December 14, 1842" — "There is only one male 

 and one female Lipoa to each mound. They repair the old 

 mound and do not build a new one, both birds assisting in 

 scratching the sand to the nest. The female commences to 



D 



