EGGS IN THE MOUNDS, 



another half-egg, which contained several fragments 

 of bones, the young one having died before it was 

 quite hatched. We then took to our hands, and by 

 groping into a soft spot, we succeeded in finding a 

 perfect egg. This, however, was addled. This egg 

 is very large for the size of the bird. Its length was 

 3k inches, its width, in the centre, 2^- inches ; its 

 circumference, lengthwise, was 8£ inches, and across, 

 (i£ inches. Its form was squarish, its colour white, 

 covered with a thin, brittle, cream-coloured epidermis. 

 It was firmly bedded in the earth, which just around 

 it w r as devoid of sticks or stones. We could per- 

 ceive no additional temperature in the centre of the 

 mound, the soil feeling cooler to the hand than that 

 on the surface in the shade of the trees.* 



These megapodius mounds were very abundant in 

 the islands about Endeavour Strait and round 

 Cape York, as well as on the neighbouring main- 

 land. They did not appear, however, to extend to 

 the islands of the centre of Torres Strait, hut they 

 are abundant at Port Essington, and occur down 

 the North-east coast as far, 1 believe, as Cape 

 Hillsborough, in lat. 21°. 



During the survey of Endeavour Strait, we landed 

 at what is called in the Admiralty Chart, Port 

 Lihou, in search of water, which was said in the 

 chart to occur there. Captain Lihou examined it 



* The reader who wishes for further information on the singular 

 habits of these birds, is referred to the plate and description in 

 one of the numbers of Gould's splendid work on the birds of 

 Australia. 



