38 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
Egg. — Varying from a light stone-grey to deep purplish-brown, hav- 
ing short streaks, spots, and blotches of different shades of deep slaty- 
grey and dark blackish-brown equally distributed over the surface. Some 
eggs have well-defined zones at the larger end. Breeding-season: nidi- 
fication usually begins late in May or early in June, the egg being laid 
in July, while the young Ly retail leaves the nest about the end of 
September. 
2. Albert Menura Menura alberti Bonaparte — 2 A. Female 
albert's — Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria. 
Distribution . — Southern Queensland and north-eastern New South 
Wales, from the Macpherson Range to the Richmond River. 
Notes. — Also called Albert’s Lyre-bird, Prince Albert’s Lyre-bird, and 
Northern Lyre-bird. Mostly singly, occasionally in pairs, inhabiting a 
very restricted area of dense scrubs and brushes. It is very similar in 
habits and economy to the Lyretail Menura, and has the same powers 
of mimicry, some observers stating that it is the better mimic. 
Nest. — A large, dome-shaped structure, outwardly formed of sticks 
and twigs, dried ferns, mosses, and black hair-like rootlets, the inside of 
the nest being lined with downy feathers ; it is not unlike the nest of the 
Lyretail Menura. A favourite nesting site is between the large buttressed 
roots of a fig-tree. 
Egg. — Very similar to the egg of the Lyretail Menura. Breeding- 
season: June and July. 
3. Brush Turkey Alectura lathami Gray 
Al-ect-ur-a — Gk, alector , cock; Gk, ura ( oura ), tail: lathami — Dr John 
Latham (1740-1837), English ornithologist, who published in 1801 the 
first important work on Australian birds. 
Distribution. — Eastern Australia, from Cape York to as far south 
as the Illawarra district (New South Wales). 
Notes. — Also called Scrub Turkey and Wattled Talegallus. Usually 
in pairs or small parties, inhabiting the brushes and big scrubs. At one 
time this interesting species was plentiful in the brushes of the Illawarra 
district, but it is doubtful if any exist there now. It is an active bird, 
spending most of its time on the ground, scratching among the fallen 
leaves and debris for insect-life. When flushed, it partly runs and flies, 
covering the ground with great rapidity, and only occasionally will it seek 
refuge in trees except for roosting at night. Food: insects of various 
kinds and their larvas and native fruits and seeds. 
Nest. — A large mound of earth, leaves, sticks, and debris, raked to- 
gether from the surrounding surface of the ground. These natural incu- 
bators vary in size according to age or to the number of birds occupying 
them; a new mound usually measures from 7 to 10 feet in diameter, by 
about’ 3 feet in height; an old one may measure as much as 30 feet in 
diameter by 6 feet in height. Nesting mounds are repaired (scratched 
