(j76 Birds of Celebes: Megapodidae. 



Egg. Similar to that of M. cumingi: 81 X 48, 77 X 48.7, 78 X 48 mm (Karkellang, Nov. 

 Nat. Coll.) 



Megapodes appear to be much more common in Sangi and Talaut than on 

 the mainland of Celebes, and they follow the rule in showing an increase in size. 

 On Ruang, which is merely a volcano rising from the sea close to Tagulandang, 

 Dr. Hickson says: "The maleos seemed to be here quite tame, for they would 

 calmly watch us from the branches of the trees until we got within thirty or 

 forty yards of them, and then only, slowly and clumsily flew on a few yards 

 further". As already mentioned, M. cumingi also seems to thrive better on small 

 islands than on the adjacent mainland. 



Of the 9 specimens collected by our native hunters in Kabruang and 

 Karkellang 7 have the head feathered above, the other two bald, with a stripe of 

 the feathers down the middle; the latter are marked by the hunters as males, 

 3 of the former as females, and it may possibly be a seasonal difference of a 

 sexual nature. 14 further specimens arrived from Karkellang in 1897. 



-+ * 289. MEGAPODIUS BERNSTEINI Schl. 



Sula Megapode. 



Megapodius bensteini (1) Sclil, Ned. Tdsclir. Dierk. 1866, m, 251, 261; (2) Gray, HL. 11, 

 1870, 255; (3) Schl., Mus. P.-B., Megapod., 1880, 63; (4) Oustal, Ann. So. Nat. 

 1881, XI, 137; (5) Grant, Oat. B. 1893, XXH, 450. 



Descriptions. Schlegel 1, 5; Oustalet 4\ Grant 5. 



Diagnosis. Eesembles M. cumingi of Celebes, but differs by its reddish feet (not black), by 

 tlie clear brown-reddish of its plumage (darker and duller in the Celebes bird), the 

 under-parts, sides of head and hind neck blackish grey (Schlegel 1). 



Measurements. Wing 179—212 mm; tail 60—73; bill 14—16; tarsus 52—59; middle toe 41 

 (Oustalet 4). 



Distribution. Sula Islands: Sula Mangoli (Bernstein 5, Hoedt 5), Sula Besi (Hoedt 5, 

 Teijsmann .3). 



In his treatment of the Megapodes the great German ornithologist at Leyden, 

 Schlegel, made a curious departure from his usual plan of allowing only 

 strikingly characterised forms to rank as species, some of the differences between 

 the Megapode species admitted by him being very slight. This step may have 

 been due to the consideration that the Megapodes are stationary and locally 

 isolated from another, under which condition racial differences arise. All of the 

 species admitted by Schlegel are accounted valid by Dr. Oustalet in his 

 "Monographie des Megapodiides". 



The Sulan bird seems to be easily distinguishable. Schlegel grouped the 

 Megapodes into two subdivisions according to their having pale or blackish 

 feet, and M. hernsteini belongs to the former group, the Celebesian and Sangi 

 species to the other. 



