83 
Inhabits all the brushes and scrubby forests of the eastern parts 
of Australia. Mr. M 4 Gillivray informs me, in a letter lately re- 
ceived from him, dated on board II. M S. “ Rattlesnake,” February 
6th, 1848, “ At Port Molle I shot in the brushes both Megapodins 
and Talegalla ,” which proves that the range of the latter bird is 
much greater than I have stated. 
Genus Leipoa. 
The only species of this form that has yet been discovered is 
strictly confined to Australia. 
441. Leipoa ocellata, Gould Vol. V. PI. 78. 
Since I wrote my account of this bird, it has been found to be 
abundantly dispersed over all parts of the Murray Scrub in South 
Australia. 
The following highly interesting account has been forwarded to 
me by His Excellency Captain Sir George Grey, being the result 
of his observations of the bird made while Governor of South 
Australia : — 
“ Government House, Adelaide, December 12th, 1842. 
“ My dear Mr. Gould, — I have lately returned from the Murray, 
where I have been studying the habits and manners of the Leipoa 
ocellata , which is very plentiful in the sandy districts of the Scrub. 
The eyes of the living bird are of a bright, light hazel ; its legs and 
feet dark brown, but not so dark as shown in your Plate ; whilst 
the bare parts on the head and face are of a very delicate and clear 
blue. The gizzard is very large and muscular; the inner coats 
peculiarly horny and hard. Its food consists chiefly of insects, such 
as Phasmidce and a species of Cimex ; it also feeds on the seeds of 
various shrubs. The entire lungs and intestines of the one which I 
dissected were full of Tcenio'ides. I have never seen any other 
animal infested with them to anything like the same extent, and yet 
the bird was perfectly healthy. It possesses the power of running 
with extraordinary rapidity ; it roosts at night on trees, and never 
flies if it can avoid so doing the male bird weighs about four 
pounds and a half. 
“ The mounds they construct are from 12 to 13 yards in circum- 
ference at the base, and from 2 to 3 feet in height ; the general form 
being that of a dome. The sand and grass is sometimes scraped up 
for a distance of from 15 to 16 feet from its outer edge. 
“ The mound appears to be constructed as follows ; a nearly cir- 
cular hole of about 18 inches in diameter, is scratched in the ground 
to the depth of 7 or 8 inches, and filled with dead leaves, dead grass 
and similar materials ; and a large mass of the same substances is 
placed all round it upon the ground. Over this first layer a large 
mound of sand, mixed with dried grass, &c., is thrown, and finally 
the whole assumes the form of a dome, as I have before stated. 
“ When an egg is to be deposited, the top is laid open and a hole 
scraped in its centre to within 2 or 3 inches of the bottom of the 
layer of dead leaves. The egg is placed in the sand just at the 
g 2 
