Il8 Mattingley, Thermometer-Bird or Mallee-Fowl. [^ 



Emu 



the external atmospheric conditions, thereby earning the cog- 

 nomen of " Thermometer-Bird." The usual clutch of eggs laid 

 totals sixteen. The egg is of large proportions when compared 

 to the size of the bird which lays it, and is excellent eating, either 

 in a cooked or raw condition. Many a thirsty wayfarer whose 

 water-bag has become dry, and who has been lost in these 

 waterless areas, owes his preservation to the reviving influences 

 of the sucking of Mallee-Fowls' eggs. 



Young. — In a sense the young are born fully fledged, although 

 the plumage varies materially from that of the adults. It takes 

 usually from 42 to 45 days for the chick to hatch out. Experi- 

 ments were made by Mr. M'Lennan to ascertain the condition 

 of the chick at birth, and upon breaking an egg after 41 days of 

 incubation in the mound, he found a somewhat helpless little 

 creature. This small moundling after a short space of time 

 became clothed, as it were, as the gelatinous-like material that 

 causes the feather-sheaths to adhere to the skin of the chick 

 became dry and allowed the still-sheathed feathers to separate. 

 In this condition the chick possessed a filo-plumaceous or hairy 

 appearance. By throwing some dry sand upon the fledgling 

 and placing it in the sunshine the sheaths soon burst, leaving 

 the feathers to expand, and in less than one hour it was fully 

 fledged and could fly from 10 to 15 yards as well as run at a 

 fair speed. It soon learned to hide, which it did by lying flat 

 upon the ground with its neck outstretched. Its mottled rufous- 

 brown and buff plumage harmonizing with its surroundings 

 rendered the young Mallee-Fowl inconspicuous. Born with its 

 head up, and with its toes in front of its beak, the young chick 

 works its way out of the mound by scratching, and as it reclines 

 partially on its back, the sand, which is naturally loose, works 

 down under it and at the same time raises the .bird and brings 

 it nearer the surface of the mound. No sound is made by the 

 chick, such as cheeping, when in its sandy bed. The head 

 of the chick always appears first through the mound, and when 

 it finally frees itself the first thing it does is to give a good 

 shake, then a wide gasp. Looking around as if to comprehend 

 the reason of its sudden transition, and being stimulated by the 

 awesome appearance of its surroundings, it suddenly rushes off 

 and disappears in the scrub. If caught and buried again it 

 cannot work its way out once more, because it is soon smothered. 

 Although the young when leaving the mound are fully fledged 

 and capable of taking short fluttering flights within half an hour 

 of their emersion, if stimulated by fear, yet they prefer to get 

 out of harm's way by trusting to their legs, that have so 

 ably assisted them in working their way out of the 

 mound. Having once left the mound they never return to it 

 again. The chick soon learns to nourish itself after leaving 

 the mound, and remains in its vicinity, where it is afterwards 



