338 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



tail would be crushed if pressed into so small a compass, while 

 the shorter and simpler tail of the martin does not require so 

 much space. 



Wherever it can find an old chimney, the Swallow will always 

 build its nest therein, a habit which has gained for the bird the 

 popular title of Chimney Swallow. It will, however f build in 

 many other situations, such as precipitous rocks and quarries, 

 barns, outhouses, and steeples. There are usually five eggs, and 

 the nest is lined with a soft bed of feathers, like that of the mar- 

 tin. 



I must now refer the reader to the large illustration, wherein 

 is depicted a group of natives engaged in digging eggs out of an 

 earth-heap. This engraving represents a scene of very common 

 occurrence in Australia, and serves to illustrate the habits of the 

 natives as well as of the bird, which will presently be described. 



In the foreground is a group of natives resting themselves after 

 a successful hunt, the evidences of which are scattered around 

 them. There is the emu with its head in the woman's lap, the 

 kangaroo, the echidna, and the duckbill. The weapons by which 

 they were killed are thrown carelessly on the ground, and com- 

 prise the waddy or club, the boomerang, the spear, and the wum- 

 merah, or throwing stick, by which it is hurled with terrific force. 

 The large wooden shield indicates also that the natives in ques- 

 tion consider themselves in danger of hostile tribes. On the up- 

 per branches of a tree are seen a pair of those wonderful king- 

 fishers, popularly termed, from their cry, Laughing Jackasses, and 

 in the centre of the illustration is seen an old man crouched upon 

 his knees, busily engaged in digging from a large mound some 

 eggs which are arranged nearly in a circle, and are set perpendic- 

 ularly, with their larger end upward, as if they had been placed 

 there by the Opposition party in Lilliput. 



This mound is the work of an Australian bird popularly called 

 the Brush Turkey, or Tallegalla {Tallegalla Lathami), one 

 of a small series of birds which scrape together great heaps of 

 vegetable substances, and lay their eggs in them so as to be 

 hatched by the heat given out during the process of fermentation. 

 A very brief account of these birds will be given, but we will at 

 present confine ourselves to the Tallegalla. 



This bird belongs to the order Gallinae and the family Mega- 

 podidas, .or large-footed birds, the name being given to them on. 



