74 Zoological Society :— 
the establishment of the generic appellation of ALEcTHELIA, with 
the specific name of Urvilii, Less. This name has been attached 
to all the specimens of young birds sent from various localities, 
though in colour and markings they differ from each other, but re- 
tain somewhat of the colour of the parents. Thus, J. Freycineti 
and M. Quoyi are of a sooty-black colour, with the cheeks and throat 
of a pale ochraceous colour ; but the markings differ in each species : 
the former has the wing-coverts margined, and all the quills banded, 
with pale ochre-colour ; in the latter, however, it is only irregularly 
banded on the tertials and lower part of the back. On the other 
hand, the young of M. Reinwardtii and M. tumulus are of a rufous 
colour; the former has the back of the neck and nape greyish- 
brown, throat ochraceous white, breast and beneath the body 
greyish ochraceous with a buff spot on the abdomen, quills fus- 
cous, wing-coverts and tertials margined with deep rufous, feet 
pale. The latter species is very similar, but appears to be more de- 
cidedly margined on the wing-coverts and tertials with pale rufous, 
conveying the appearance of bands; throat rufous ochre; and be- 
neath the body of a somewhat darker colour than in the previous 
example. These differences between the young and adult birds are 
so strongly marked, that even Mr. Wallace states, with regard to one 
sent home by him, that “he is convinced it is an adult bird,” “as 
it is considered to be by the natives of Aru.” 
The egg is remarkably large when on the point of being laid (mea- 
suring from 3} to 41 inches in length, and 2 to 25 inches in width, 
weighing 8 or 9 ounces) ; it consequently fills up, says Mr. Wallace, 
the lower cavity of the body, squeezing the intestines so that it 
seemed impossible for anything to pass through them; while the 
ovary contained from eight or ten eggs about the size of small peas, 
which must evidently require somewhere about the time named 
(thirteen days the natives assert) for their successive development. 
A considerable interval, says Mr. Wallace, ‘“‘ must elapse before the 
succeeding one can be matured. The number of eggs which a bird- 
produces each season seems to be about eight ;” so that, if this sup- 
position is correct, “an interval of three months must pass between 
the laying of the first and last egg.” 
The eggs vary from white to cream- or pale salmon-colour. Some 
eggs are often covered with an epidermis of a dirty-brown colour, 
which easily chips off, exposing the proper colour of the egg. 
The birds place the egg upright in their mounds or other places, 
so that the egg may obtain the heat equally on all sides,—as other 
birds, which sit on their eggs, continually turn them so that each 
side may equally obtain the same amount of heat from their bodies, 
which is essentially requisite, or the egg would not be brought to 
perfect maturity. 
The eggs, it is said, ‘when quite fresh are delicious eating, as de- 
licate as a fowl’s egg, but much richer.”” The natives of the Hapace 
Islands, either from their rarity or from their great delicacy, look 
upon the eggs found in their islands as worthy to be reserved for 
the chief’s eating ; and for that reason they are denominated “ Chief’s 
