416 CELEBES. [chap. xvn. 



walk renders still more remarkable. There is hardly any 

 difference between the sexes, except that the casque or 

 bonnet at the back of the head and the tubercles at the 

 nostrils are a little larger, and the beautiful rosy salmon 

 colour a little deeper in the male bird, but the difference 

 is so slight that it is not always possible to tell a male 

 from a female without dissection. They run quickly, but 

 when shot at or suddenly disturbed take wing with a 

 heavy noisy flight to some neighbouring tree, where they 

 settle on a low branch ; and they probably roost at night 

 in a similar situation. Many birds lay in the same hole, 

 for a dozen eggs are often found together ; and these are so 

 large that it is not possible for the body of the bird to 

 contain more than one fully-developed egg at the same 

 time. In all the female birds which I shot, none of the 

 eggs besides the one large one exceeded the size of peas, 

 and there were only eight or nine of these, which is pro- 

 bably the extreme number a bird can lay in one season. 



Every year the natives come for fifty miles round to 

 obtain these eggs, which are esteemed a great delicacy, 

 and when quite fresh are indeed delicious. They are 

 richer than hens' eggs and of a finer flavour, and each one 

 completely fills an ordinary teacup, and forms with bread 

 or rice a very good meal. The colour of the shell is a pale 

 brick red, or very rarely pure white. They are elongate 

 and very slightly smaller at one end, from four to four 



