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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLI 



reversed in the little common quail of the old world {Corturnix 

 communis), a well-known polygamous species, where the males 

 are both larger and handsomer than the females. 



As to the Megapodes or brush turkeys (Megapodidje) of the 

 East Indies and Australia, none of the writers at hand state whether 

 they are polygamous or otherwise. 



The habits of these birds are pretty well known, especially their 

 burying their eggs in immense mounds which they build, or con- 

 cealing them in sand-holes and burrows, in either situation they 

 hatch out by the sun and the heat of the fermenting vegetable 

 matter in the mounds. The young fly an hour after they are 

 hatched. Wallace describes several species of them in his "Malay 

 Archepelago," but does not state whether they are polygamous 

 or not, and neither Newton or Pycraft have anything to say upon 

 that point.* 



Most ornithological writers lay it down as a rule that among 

 the Gallinre generally, where the cock bird is evidently larger than 

 the hen and its plumage is remarkably conspicuous, the hen, 

 being more or less plain in this particular, the species is polyga- 

 mous, whereas, when the sexes are nearly alike in point of size, 

 and but little difference in plumage, they are almost certain to be 

 monogamous in their mating. There are, however, a few excep- 

 tions to this rule. 



Personally, [ liavc never stiulied the ciirassows and guans 

 {Cracidcc) in their native hannts, and therefore eainiot say, from 

 my own experience, anything in regard to their mating habits. 

 In this group, I take it, the curassows of South America are prob- 

 ably monogamous, as is likewise our Chachalaca (Ortalis v. mac- 

 calli), though in the case of the latter species, where the sexes 

 are nearly alike, few American ornithologists describe its court- 

 ship and niatino'. nctal.ly Hendire. Cones, Ui-lgway (Alannal), 

 and others, while continental writers rarelv refer to' it. Neither 

 Audnhon or WiKo.i ever saw \hr bird. 



Finally, the >ul.ord.'r (iaiiin.-e i. >een to contain live very ele- 



>Loc. cit. Art, ■■.M.-a|HHl,.- l>t. ii, p. r,:VJ. and I'v.ial!. ■ l.ivin- Animals 

 of the World" Lot.d. p. 411.^ One writer states that several hen niesu[)()des 



