78 MR. A. D. BARTLETT ON THE BREEDING OF BIRDS. [Jail. 23, 



(perfect specimens) to examine. That Eurypyga is less of a Heron 

 than has generally been thought must now be admitted, and the 

 spotted egg, together with the downy young one, abundantly shows. 

 I feel, however, certain that this bird has its nearest ally in the 

 Kagu (Rhinochetus jubatus), as has been already stated (see P. Z. S. 

 1862, p. 218). 



Since writing the foregoing, Mr. Bates has called my attention to 

 his account of the habits of this bird, published in vol. i. page 82 of 

 the 'Naturalist on the River Amazon,' from which I copy the fol- 

 lowing : — 



" I was told by the Indians that it (the Sunbittern) builds in trees, 

 and that the nest, which is made of clay, is beautifully constructed" *. 



The Pin-tailed Sand-Grouse (Pterocles alchata) have repeatedly 

 laid eggs in the aviary, and made frequent attempts to hatch them 

 without success until the last summer, when two eggs were laid 

 about the 4th of August, in a small depression in the sand in the 

 aviary, and on the 29th of August one young bird was hatched, 

 from which the figure (PI. IX. fig. 2) was taken a day or two after- 

 wards. The young bird was tolerably active, but much less so than 

 the young of a Fowl, Pheasant, or Partridge, probably owing to the 

 shortness of its legs ; it was at the same time strong and vigorous, 

 and grew to a considerable size, but died before it reached maturity. 



Of other birds that have laid eggs, and some of which have 

 hatched for the first time, I may mention the following : — 



Hatched. 



Nicobar Pigeon (Calosnas nicobarica). 

 Lineated Pheasant (Euplocamus lineatus). 

 Spotted-sided Finch (Jmadina lathami). 

 Variegated Sheldrake (Tadorna variegata). 



Laid eggs. 

 Scarlet Ibis (Ibis rubra). 

 Saras Crane (G>-us antigone). 

 Hardwick's Francolin (Galloperdix lunulosa). 

 Red-headed Pigeon (Erythrcenas pulcherrima) . 

 Guira Cuckoo (Guira piririgua). 

 Scemmering's Pheasant (Phasianus scemmerbigii). 

 Cinereous Vulture (Vultur monaehus). 

 Long-billed Butcherbird (Barita destructor). 

 Wattled Fruit-Pigeon (Carpophaga microcera). 



The Nicobar Pigeon (Calcenas nicobarica). 



A pair of these birds took possession, in the early part of June, of 

 an artificial nest made of straw and sticks, and laid one white egg ; 

 the nest was 10 or 12 feet from the ground. The period of incuba- 

 tion was twenty-eight days. The young bird when hatched was 



* Consult also the notes on the nidification of this bird by the well-known 

 French naturalist Goudot, in the ' Revue Zoologique,' 18-13, p. 1 ; and the figure 

 of the egg given in the ' Magasin de Zoologie,' 1843. — Ed. 



