THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
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egg. Varying from a light stone-grey to deep purplish-brown, having 
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: 
nidification usually begins late in May or early in June, the egg being 
laid in July, while the young Lyretail leaves the nest about the end 
of September. 
2. Albert Menura Menura alberti Bonaparte—2A. Female 
alberti— 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 (ouro ), 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 lllawarra 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 
lllawarra 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 larvae and native fruits and 
seeds. 
nest. A large mound of earth, leaves, sticks, and debris, raked 
together from the surrounding surface of the ground. These natural 
incubators 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 over) and added to each breeding-season. The 
