386 Manual of the Game Birds of India. 



they are unsurpassed. The flesh, very 

 white, very sweet and juicy, loaded with 

 fat, is delicious." 



Concerning the remarkable nesting 

 habits of these Megapodes I shall quote 

 from the late Mr. Davison's remarks : 

 "I have seen a great many mounds of 

 this bird. Usually they are placed close 

 to the shore, but on Bampoka and on 

 Katchall I saw two mounds some distance 

 inland in the forest. They were com- 

 posed of dried leaves, sticks, etc., mixed 

 with earth, and were very small compared 

 with others near the sea-coast, not being 

 above three feet high and about twelve 

 or fourteen feet in circumference ; those 

 built near the coast are composed chiefly 

 of sand mixed with rubbish and vary very 

 much in size, but average about five feet 

 high and thirty feet in circumference ; 

 but I met with one exceptionally large 

 one on the Island of Trinkut, which 

 must have been at least eight feet high 

 and quite sixty feet in circumference. It 

 was apparently a very old one, for from 

 near its centre grew a tree about six 

 inches in diameter, whose roots penetrated 

 the mound in all directions to within a 

 foot of its summit, some of them being 

 nearly as thick as a man's wrist. I had 



