Vol. VIII. 

 UJ09 



] Mattingley, Thermometer-Bird or Mallee-Fowl. II5 



the records for others range from two eggs in i8 days to three 

 eggs in 22 days. Usually tlie Mallee-Hen lays its eggs regularly 

 every third or fourth day during the first half of the breeding 

 season, but then the periods between the depositing of each 

 subsequent egg varies according to the constitution of the bird 

 and the food supply in the vicinity of a particular mound, as well 

 as to other conditions. For instance, hot and dry seasons have 

 a noticeable effect on the birds, and at these times they lay few 

 eggs. Some of the mounds were examined when the weather 

 had been exceptionally hot and dry, and they contained from two 

 to five eggs, but a great many mounds were found to be deserted. 

 During the laying season of 1907, at Pine Plains, Victoria, 45 

 different mounds were placed under observation at which the 

 birds had been working in the usual manner during May and 

 June, gathering up the dead leaves, &c., and placing them in the 

 egg-chamber, which the birds had already opened out in the old 

 mounds a week or so beforehand. Fifteen of the Mallee-Hens 

 completed their mounds and started to lay early in September, 

 which is the usual month for the birds to start laying in that 

 district. These birds laid, as usual, an egg every three or four 

 days, and continued to lay regularly up to the end of September, 

 after which time only one fresh egg was added to the number, 

 when an interval of two to four weeks had elapsed. This 

 irregularity continued to the middle of December. The largest 

 clutch obtained from one mound up to the 12th December was 

 eight eggs. Then, again, over 20 of the owners of the balance of 

 the mounds discovered in September, when the birds had got all 

 the material scraped up and had formed their mound in the 

 usual manner ready to receive the eggs, did not lay in that 

 month, and had not done so when examined in December. On 

 visiting these mounds regularly at intervals of about one week 

 or ten days, it was seen that the birds had only just gathered up 

 the dead leaves and other debris and had placed the material at 

 the side of the mound, and had done nothing further to complete 

 the nest. The general dryness, bordering on drought, at this 

 particular time iniluenced the birds, and so caused this 

 phenomena. It is interesting to note that the Mallee-Hen has 

 the power to cease laying. This condition is no doubt due to 

 attrition brought about by the scarcity of food, as well as 

 by the change in the general environment, which reacts on 

 the internal mechanism of these birds. In the nesting season 

 the bird is never very far from the mound in which its eggs 

 are incubating, and if the eggs be taken from it they soon 

 repair the damage and place everything in order once again 

 and continue laying. At Nhill, in Victoria, a friend of mine 

 opened the top of a mound, and then retired to his work 

 a little distance away. Returning to the mound some time 

 after he found that it had been repaired. He uncovered 



