The Zoologist — February, 1866. 53 



prising for so yoiuig and small a bird, its size not being larger than that 

 of a small quail. At night it was so restless that I was constantly kept 

 awake by the noise it made in its endeavours to escape. In scratching 

 up the sand it only used one foot, and having grasped a handful, as it 

 were, the sand was thrown behind it, vrith but little apparent exertion, 

 and without shifting its standing position on the other leg; this habit 

 seemed to be the result of an innate restless disposition and a desire to 

 use its powerful feet, and to have but little connexion with its feeding ; 

 for although Indian corn was mixed with the sand, I never detected 

 the bird in picking any of it up while thus employed. 



" ' I continued to receive the eggs without having an opportunity of 

 seeing them taken from the mound until the 6th of February, when, on 

 again visiting Knocker's Ba}', I had the gratification of seeing two 

 taken from a depth of six feet in one of the largest mounds I had then 

 seen. In this instance the holes ran down in an oblique direction from 

 the centre towards the outer slope of the hillock, so that, although the 

 eggs were six feet deep from the summit, they were only two or three 

 feet from the side. The birds are said to lay but a single egg in each 

 hole, and alter the egg is deposited the earth is immediately thrown 

 down lightly until the hole is filled up ; the upper part of the mound 

 is then smoothed and rounded over. It is easily known when a Mega- 

 pode has been recently excavating, from the distinct impressions of its 

 feet on the top and sides of the mound, and the earth being so lightly 

 thrown over, that with a slender stick the direction of the liole is 

 readily detected, the ease or difficulty of thrusting the stick down in- 

 dicating the length of time that may have elapsed since the bird's 

 operations. Thus far it is easy enough ; but to reach the eggs 

 requires no little exertion and perseverance. The natives dig them 

 up with their hands alone, and only make sufficient room to aduiit 

 their bodies and to throw out the earth between their legs; by 

 grubbing with their fingers alone they are enabled to follow the 

 direction of the hole with greater certainty, which will sometimes, at a 

 depth of several feet, turn off abruptly at right angles, its direct course 

 being obstructed by a clump of wood or some other impediment. 

 Their patience is, however, often put to severe trials. In the present 

 instance, the native dug down six times in succession to a depth of at 

 least six or seven feet without finding an egg, and at the last attempt 

 came up in such a state of exhaustion that he refused to try again ; 

 but my interest was now too much excited to relinquish the oppor- 

 tunity of verifying the native's statements, and by the offer of an addi- 



