THE YELLOW- WATTLED BRUSH TUBKEY 



13 



The female has no wattle, but only a small patch of yellow skin, and 

 when the nesting season is over the wattle of the male, too, is reduced. 

 When the male utters his single note, he bends his body well forward, 

 arches his neck, and distends his wattle. The habits are very similar to 

 those of the Megapode. 



The surface leaves and other materials are scraped 

 together to form the nesting mound, with comparatively 

 little soil. The male bird does practically all the work, 

 and when the mound is finished he is always at hand, 





Frotn life. 



Scrub Turkey: Catheturus lathami. 



Melbourne Zoo. 



tending it or watching to drive ofE intruders. He apparently 

 resents the presence even of his mate, for while the hen is 

 scraping out a hole in which to lay her egg, he buffets her with 

 his wings most of the time, so severely that frequently many of 

 the feathers of her wings are knocked out by the blows. 

 Naturally as soon as the egg is laid the hen bird decamps. The 

 mounds average about 3% feet in height and ten feet in the 

 diameter of the base. They are freshly made up each year, 

 generally in September, and the bird commences to lay in 

 October. The temperature is maintained at about 95° F. An 



