Birds of Celebes: Megapodidae. 
671 
287. MEGAPODIUS CUMINGI Dillw. 
Little Moleo. 
Plate XLI. 
In uniting as one species M. mmingi Dillw. of Labuan, M. lowi Sharpe of 
Labuan, M. pusillus Tweedd. of Cebu, M. dillwyni Tweedd. of “the Philippines”, 
and M. gilberti Gray of Celebes in the Catalogue of the Game Birds Mr. 
Ogilvie-Grant seems to us to have made a step in the right direction; generally 
speaking the birds are similar, and it is most probable that with a sufficiently 
large material from all quarters the gaps which seem to separate the typical 
individuals may be tilled up. But the bird varies locally in many different 
localities, and Mr. Grant’s work would have been still more welcome, if he 
had drawn attention to some of these racial departures. In Mindanao the bird 
appears to be about twice as a big as it is in North Borneo; another difference 
is seen in Celebes specimens, to which the following are some of the principle 
references: 
a. lllegapodins (1) Wall., Ibis 1860, 142; (2) id., Malay Arcliip. 1869, I, 413. 
b. Megapodius gilberti (and gilbertii) (1) Gray, P. Z. S. 1861, 289; (2) Sclil. , Ned. Tdsclir. 
Dierk. 1866, ID, 263, pt.; (3) Wald., Tr. Z. S. 1872, YHI, 87; (4) Posenb., 
Malay. Archip. 1878, 276; (5) Meyer, Ibis 1879, 138, 146; (6) ScliL, Mus. P.-B., 
Megapod., 1880, 73; (7) Oustal., Mon. Megap. 1881, 107; (8) Guillem., P. Z. S. 
1885, 557; (9) Hickson, Nat. in N. Celebes 1889, 94. 
c. Megapodius freycineti (1) Rcbb., Tauben 1862, 5, pt. (Manado); /'SJ Joest (nec Q. & G.), 
Das Holontalo 1883, 106. 
Megapodius cumingi (1) Grant, Cat. B. 1893, XXH, 449; (2) M. & Wg., Abb. Mus. Dresd. 
1895, Mai, Nr. 8, p. 16; (3) Hart, Nov. Zool. 1896, 166. 
“Moleo kitjil” (kitjil = little), Malay, N. Celebes, Meyer b 5. 
“Panoa”, v. Rosenb. h 4, or “Panua”, Joest c 2, Gorontalo Distr. 
“Moleo utang”, Lembeli Id., Nat. Coll. 
For further references cf. Oustalet h 7. 
Descriptions. Gray b 7; Scblegel h 6; Oustalet b 7; Grant 1. 
Adult. Above warm ohvaceous brown, head, nape and fore-neck washed with slate-grey , 
all the under-parts brownish slate-grey: “bare skin of the face fine bright red, 
bill brown, above blackish; iris brown (difficult to determine); legs and feet in front 
and above black, behind reddish, below yellowish” — P. &P. Sarasin (c^*) Rurukan, 
26. ni. 94). 
Sexes. Appear to be perfectly similar in coloration. 
Immature. A specimen which we consider scarcely adult differs in having the crown and 
under-parts olivaceous with very little of the slate-grey tint of the adults ((J* , Kema, 
25. Vm. 93; Sarasin Coll). 
Chick. “Head and nape olive-brownish; mantle, back, uropygium, and wing -coverts irre- 
gularly banded with brownish red; chin yellowish; throat olive-brownish, breast and 
belly somewhat lighter, and shading into red-brown; wings greyish brown; bill dark 
horn-colour; feet black” (Meyer b 5). 
It appears certain that the chick of this Megapode can fly as soon as it is 
hatched, like that of TagegaMus and Megacephaloti. 
