72 TYPES OF ANIMAL LIFE 



species, notably the vulturine Guinea fowl, are hand- 

 some and rather gaily coloured birds. 



The vast region of Australia is entirely destitute of all 

 pheasants, fowls, or peacocks, and also of Guinea fowls. 

 Nevertheless we find there certain large birds which, though 

 exceedingly exceptional as regards their habits, must be 

 considered as allies of the above-mentioned species. 

 These are the birds — called "mound-building" or 

 " bush turkeys — which differ from all others as to 

 the mode in which their eggs are hatched. Instead 

 of sitting on them, they deposit them within large 

 mounds of earth, which they heap up with their very 

 powerful feet, wherein they also deposit more or less 

 decaying organic substances. It is from the heat given 

 forth by this decaying matter that the eggs of most of 

 these birds are hatched, though some deposit their eggs in 

 the sand of the seashore and there leave them to be hatched 

 by the heat of "the sun. They lay very large eggs, and 

 the young within them become so matured and well- 

 feathered before they are hatched that they are said to be 

 able at once to fly away so soon as (after leaving the egg- 

 shell) they have found their way to the surface of the 

 mound. 



If we were to cross the Pacific from Australia, land on 

 the coast of South America, and traverse the Andes to 

 the forest regions of Brazil, we should there meet with 

 yet other new and peculiar kinds of " gallinaceous birds,'' 

 also of large size. There are the curassows, birds which 

 may be seen in most well-organised zoological gardens, 

 and are always to be found in those of London. 



The curassows are sober-coloured birds, and (like so 

 many Brazillian forms of life) more especially adapted 

 for living in trees than are their allies of other 

 regions. 



