The Zoologist — May, 1874. 3983 



this statement. In all cases we found the gizzards to contain a very 

 considerable quantity of rough pieces of slate and quartz, also rarely 

 a few very hard seeds. These stony fragments in a fair average 

 gizzard weighed as much as lllj grains, five of the largest pieces 

 weighing about five grains each. We believe the hard seeds had not 

 been picked up for food, but for the purpose of trituration, probably 

 in some locality where bits of stone were rarely met with. 



When the kiwi is deprived of its skin or feathers, immediately 

 below the lower neck on each side at the base of the wings, there 

 may be noticed a rather angular-shaped protuberance not unlike 

 the mamma of certain animals. These are adipose deposits of very 

 firm texture, which we incline to believe are of material assistance 

 during incubation. The difficulty that has been felt in under- 

 standing how an egg so disproportionate in size can be successfully 

 hatched by a bird not larger than an ordinary barn-door fowl has 

 led to many curious surmises. According to Mr. Docherty, the 

 kiwi, with her egg deposited on the bare soil, proceeds with the 

 labour of incubation by arranging the egg between the feet, its axis 

 or long diameter being kept parallel to the body. Now, the keelless 

 sternum being laid on the egg, with the praepectoral masses of fat 

 pressing on its oval sweep between the bilge and blunt end, may it 

 not be inferred that its monstrous bulk is thus kept from slipping, 

 while receiving its due supply of heat ? Being easily turned by 

 rotary motion initiated perhaps by the feet, the warmth derived 

 from these fatty tumours also makes up at one end of the egg for 

 the entire covering of the opposite extremity by the body of the bird, 

 and thus equalizes its temperature to a certain extent. The kiwi, 

 when relieved by its mate, or when resuming its sitting attitude 

 after food search, would but have to reverse the position previously 

 maintained, in order to distribute over the entire surface of the 

 egg a fair and equal amount of heat. The sitting pone assumed by 

 various species of birds is in itself a study not devoid of interest 

 either to the naturalist or the physiologist. It is probable that, as 

 in the case of struthious birds, the gizzard-stones are disgorged, but 

 we have no evidence thereof; it would be most interesting to ascer- 

 tain if such regurgitation takes place, also if any correlation could 

 be traced to seasonal or sexual conditions. The fecund kiwi within 

 a brief period has to furnish a large supply of calcareous material 

 for the formation of the egg-shell : amongst gallinaceous birds in 

 some cases the requisite supply of lime may be as considerable in 



