CEIAP. svii.] MALEOS' BREEDING PLACE. 265 



tioned, that the beaches beyond the suiall livers in both 

 directions are of white sand. 



It is in -this loose hot black sand, that those singular 

 birds the Maleos" deposit their egga. In the months of 

 August and September, when tliere is little or no miu, 

 they come down in pairs from tlie interior to this or to one 

 or two other favourite spots, and scratch holes three or 

 four feet deep, just above high-water mark, where the 

 female deposits a single large egg, which she covers over 

 with about a foot of sand, and then returns to the forest. 

 At the end of ten or twelve days she eomea again to tlie 

 same spot to ky another eg,?, and each feinalt; bird is sup- 

 posed to lay six or eight eggs diiring tl w season. The male 

 assists the female in makiiig the hole, coming down and 

 returning with her. The appearance of the bird when 

 walking on the beach is very handsome. The glossy 

 black and rosy wliite of the plumage, the hel meted head 

 and elevated tail, like that of the common fowl, give a 

 striking character, whicli tln3ir stately and somewhat sedate 

 walk renders stiJl more remarkable. There Is hardly any 

 flifference between the sexes, except that the casque or 

 Ixmnet at the back of the liead and the tubercles at the 

 nostrils are a little larger, and the beautiful rosy salmon 

 colour a little deeper in the male bird, but the dilftuence 

 is so slight that it is not always possible to tell a male 

 from a female without dissection. They run quicldy, but 

 when shot at or suddenly disturbed take wmg with a 

 lieavy noi«y Hight to some neighbouring tree, wliere they 

 settle on a low branch ; and tliey proljably roost at night 

 in a similar situatioiL Many birds lay in the same hole, 

 for a dozen eggs are often found together ; and these are so 

 large that it is not possible for tlie body of tlie bird to 

 contain more than one lully-developed egg at the same 

 time. In all the female birds which 1 shot, none of the 

 eggs besides the one large one exceeded tlie size of pens, 

 and there were only eight or nine of these, which is pro- 

 bably the extreme number a bird can lay in one season. 



Every year the natives come for fifty miles round to 

 obtain these eggs, which are esteemed a great delicacy, 

 and when quite fresh are indeed delicious. They are 

 richer than hens' eggs and of a finer tlavuur, and each one 



