728 ' Recent Literature. [September, 



bones. According to Parker the entire skeleton of the great 

 hornbill, Buceros htficollis, is not three times the weight of the 

 leg bone of a Talegalla. The real relations of these birds have 

 long ago been proved to be with the Gallinaceae or Rasores, and 

 more recent researches have proved their close affinity to the 

 Cracidse. The classification adopted by M. Oustalet is, in the 

 main, that of Huxley, that is to say, the Alectoromorphae or 

 typical Rasores include the groups Cracidae, Megapodiidae, Nu- 

 mididae, Meleagridse, Phasianidoe and Tetraonidae in the order 



The first part of the monograp 

 of the skeleton, muscles and 

 mentary systems; followed by a statement of the relations of the 

 group with those around it. 



Then follows a full description of each species, with measure- 

 ments, habitat, and whatever is known of habits, food, etc. The 

 genus Megacephalon includes one species only, M. maleo, the 

 largest of the entire group, a native of the northern coast of 

 Celebes and of the Island Siao, one of the Sanghir group. This 

 fine bird lays in August and September, at which season it leaves 

 the forest in pairs and proceeds to the sea-shore, where in coarse 

 sand, above the level of the tides, it digs a hole four to five feet 

 wide and one to two feet deep. In this the female lays a single 

 egg. but the natives affirm that thirteen days afterwards the same 

 pair return and a second egg is deposited. As many as seven or 

 eight eggs may be contained in one hole, but it by no means fol- 

 lows that they are the product of the same pair. The top of the 

 head of the male is adorned with a black casque about three 

 centimeters in height. 



The genus Leipoa contains also onlv a single species, L. ocel- 

 lata (Gould), a native of the south-west of Australia, where it 

 resides in the brushy prairies. It is of the size of a small turkey, 

 but shorter in the legs. The natives say that it is so timid that 

 in its haste to escape it often becomes entangled in the brush, and 

 is thus easily caught. As a rule it lives on the ground, drinks 

 seldom, feeds upon seeds and orthopterous and hemipterous in- 

 sects, and sleeps upon the trees. Its nest is a mound forty or 

 more feet in circumference and sometimes Uxc feet high, built by 



the labors of both sexes c 



ait of the ferruginous gravel that 1 



forms 



the soil of the openings ii 



i the prairies, with abed of leaves 





base in which the eggs 



are deposited. The egg is $j% ii 



riches 



long, and it is probable tl 



lat several davs intervene betwee 



n the 



deposition of the success 



ive eggs. However this may be 





native pheasant contrives 



to retard the development of the 



eggs 



first laid, for the young u 



sually appear at the same tune, 





unassisted through the ws 



ills of their prison, and find ample 



: food 



The genus Telegalla contains seven specie 



