NEST OF THE LEIPOA. 
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thin and fragile. The young are hatched by the 
heat of the sand and leaves, with which the eggs 
are covered. Each egg is deposited separately, and 
the number found in one nest varies from one to 
ten. 
One nest that I examined, and that only a small 
one, was twelve yards in circumference, eighteen 
inches high, and shaped like a dome. It was 
formed entirely of sand scraped up by the bird with 
its feet. Under the centre of the dome, and below 
the level of the surrounding ground was an irregular 
oval hole, about eighteen inches deep, and twelve 
in diameter. In this, the eggs were deposited in 
different layers among sand and leaves ; on the lower 
tier was only one egg, on the next two, at a depth 
of four or five inches from the ground. All the 
eggs were placed upon their smaller ends, and 
standing upright. The colour of the egg is a dark 
reddish pink ; its length, three inches six-tenths ; 
breadth, two inches two-tenths ; circumference, 
lengthwise, ten inches, and across, seven inches two- 
tenths. The eggs appear to be deposited at con- 
siderable intervals. In the nest alluded to, two 
eggs had only been laid sixteen days after it was 
discovered, at which time there had been one pre- 
viously deposited. The bird is shaped like a hen 
pheasant, of a brownish colour, barred with black, 
and its weight is about four pounds and a half. 
The eggs of the emu are rather smaller than those 
of the ostrich. They are of a dark green colour 
t 2 
