1874.] MR. ST. G. MIVART ON THE STRUTHION1D.E. 60/ 



taste and smell about them. When boiled, the thin membrane that 

 covers the albumen is of a lead-colour ; but when the yolk and albu- 

 men are beat together and made into an omelette, as I have seen our 

 cook do, it is not to be known from the common fowl's egg. At New 

 Britain the natives brought them off also in great quantities, like the 

 Savu natives ; in fact one saw the bluejackets eating them all day long 

 or as long as the eggs lasted. There must have been a great many 

 thousands consumed in two days at both islands. At Treasury Island 

 I obtained four, but I broke two in blowing ; I send one. I also send 

 a very young bird taken from a New-Britain egg. When at San 

 Christoval I was shown an egg that Perry, a white man living there 

 these last five years, said was laid by the ' Wild Fowl ;' and upon my 

 visiting him a few days after, he had just obtained another from the 

 nest of his domestic fowls. He being in bad health at the time, I 

 did not press him to let me have it ; and for two days I traversed the 

 mountains with guides to try and obtain specimens of the bird, but 

 without success. 



"In 1865 a young Megapode was brought on board the 'Curacoa' 

 by the natives of Golfe Island (See 'Brenchley's Cruise of the Curacoa' 

 p. 392, also Brazier, P. Z. S. 1869, p. 528, and Sclater, P. Z. S. 1869, 

 p. 529). Dr. Bennett also gives some notes, P. Z. S. 1862, p. 247, 

 where he alludes to the occurrence of this form in Zanna and 

 Sandwich. I am of opinion that species of Megapodius exist upon 

 every island in the Solomons ; but, through the kidnapping that has 

 been carried on for some time past, it is far from safe to land upon 

 some of the finest islands in the Pacific." 



Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, F.Z.S., exhibited two Megapode's eggs 

 which had been brought from the south-western portion of New 

 Guinea by the Rev. M. Wyatt Gill, B.A. The point where they 

 had been obtained was exactly opposite the Cape- York peninsula of 

 Australia ; but unfortunately no birds were procured. The eggs 

 were, in Mr. Sharpe's opinion, referable to species of Talegalla and 

 Megapodius, the latter being apparently inseparable from eggs of 

 M. tumulus ; but that of the Talegalla appeared to differ from 

 specimens of T. lathami and T. cuvieri, both of which were repre- 

 sented in the museum series, and, he suspected, would belong to an 

 undescribed species. He declined to found a specific name on an 

 egg ; hut the occurrence of Megapodes in this unknown portion of 

 New Guinea seemed to be an event of some interest, though not one 

 to be much wondered at. 



Mr. St. George Mivart, F.R.S., read a memoir on the axial 

 skeleton of the Struthionidse, in continuation of a previous memoir 

 on the same subject published in the Society's 'Transactions.' 



This paper, which treats of the axial skeleton in Rhea, Dromceus, 

 Casuarius, Apteryx, and Dinoniis, will be likewise published in the 

 Society's ' Transactions.' 



The following papers were read : — 



