2l8



On the Nesting Habits of the Brush Turkey.


After standing in this position for about three minutes

the egg is laid, and the hen immediately scrambles over it some

of the warm material from the inner side of the mound, stamp¬

ing it firmly down, and, at the same time, rotating first one way

and then the other. When this is completed she leaves the

heap, the cock then putting the finishing touch by filling up the

large cavity he excavated in the first place.


It is surprising that many of the eggs do not get broken,

considering the rough treatment they undergo by being stamped

upon, as they are particularly thin-shelled ; but what has puzzled

me most is the question: “how does the male know the exact

moment that the female is about to lay ? ” for he opens the heap

at the right moment. Is it purely instinct, or an absolute

knowledge of the lapse of time? He frequently removes some

material from the upper portion of the mound, either to reduce

the heat or to air the eggs, but not to such an extent as when

the hen is ready to lay.


The temperature of this mound, which I tested at ten

o’clock in the morning, was, at the side where the hens were

observed to lay most frequently, 109° Fahr., i.e., near the surface,

whilst on the opposite side the thermometer rose to 84° only, and

deeper down in the mound to 65®. By this it would seem that

the upper portion only generates the heat to any considerable

extent. The external temperature at that time was 54°. The

mound is composed of leaf mould, lawn mowings, light loam,

decaying leaves and fern bracken, to which a barrow-full of

short, broken hay, straw, and clover is occasionally added, as it

mixes well with the other materials and prevents the decaying

grass from running the temperature too high, which it has a

tendency to do, and helps to shoot off some of the rain which

generally arrives when least wanted.


There are, to my belief, a number of eggs in the mound at

the present time, laid by two hens, and I am hoping to be

able to write a further paper later, treating on the hatching and

growth of the chicks, should we be so lucky as to get any.



