j THE BRUSH TURKEY. 371 
formerly thought to be the tombs of departed natives, and, indeed, have been 
more than once figured as such. The natives, however, disclairned the 
sepulchral character, saying that they were the artificial ovens in which the 
eggs of the Jungle Fowl were laid, and which, by the heat that is always 
disengaged from decaying vegetable substances, preserved sufficient warmth 
to hatch the eggs. 
The size of these tumuli is sometimes quite marvellous ; in one instance, 
where measurements were taken, it was fifteen feet in perpendicular height, 
and sixty feet in circumference at its base. The whole of this enormous 
mound was made by the industrious Jungle Fowl, by gathering up the earth, 
fallen leaves, and grasses with its feet, and throwing them backwards while 
it stands on the other leg. If the hand be inserted into the heap, the interior 
will always be found to be quite hot. In almost every case the mound is 
placed under the shelter of densely-leaved trees, so as to prevent the sun 
from shining upon any part of it, 
The bird seems to deposit her eggs by digging holes from the top of the 
mound, laying the egg at the bottom, and then making its way out again, 
throwing back the earth that it had scooped away. The direction, however, 
of the holes is by no means uniform, some running towards the centre and 
others radiating towards the sides, They do not seem to be dug quite per- 
pendicularly ; so that 
although the holes in 
which the eggs are 
found may be some six 
or seven feet in depth, 
the eggs themselves 
may be only two or 
three feet from the 
surface, 
The colouring of 
this bird is simple, but 
the tints are soft and 
pleasing. The head is 
rich ruddy brown, the 
back of the neck black- 
ish grey, and the back 
and wings brownish 
cinnamon, deepening 
ag aie an AUSTRALIAN JUNGLE FOWL.—(Megapodius tumulus.) 
whole under surface 
is blackish grey. The legs are orange, and the bill rusty brown. 
THE BRUSH TURKEY is principally found in the thick brushwood of 
New South Wales. Mr. Gould, who first brought it before the public, 
gives this curious account of their nests :— “The mode in which the 
materials composing these mounds are accumulated is equally singu- 
lar, the bird never using its bill, but always grasping a quantity in its 
foot, throwing it backwards to one common centre, and thus clearing 
the surface of the ground for a considerable distance so completely that 
scarcely a leaf or a blade of grass is left. The heap being accumulated, 
and time allowed for a sufficient heat to be engendered, the eggs are de- 
posited, not side by side as is ordinarily the case, but planted at the dis- 
tance of nine or twelve inches from each other, and buried at nearly an 
arm’s depth, perfectly upright, with the large end upwards. ‘Thew are 
covered up as they are laid, and allowed to.remain until hatched. £ am 
BB2 
