48 AUSTRALIAN ZOOLOGY. 
Mature Hen—Zeipoa ocellata, 
Descripvion.—This beautiful bird ranks among the most 
interesting which Australia has produced. The mallee hen or 
ocellated leipoa is a more slender and elegantly formed bird than the 
wattled talegallus; it differs from that bird in having the head and 
neck thickly clothed with feathers, and in being adorned with a 
beautifully variegated style of colouring. The head and crest are 
blackish brown ; the neck and shoulders dark ash grey ; the fore- 
part of tlie former, from the chin to the breast, being marked by a 
series of lanceolate feathers, which are black with a white stripe 
down the centre; the back and wings are conspicuously marked 
with three distinct bands of greyish white, brown and black near 
the tip of each feather, the marks assuming an ocellate form, par- 
ticularly on the tips of the secondaries. All the under surface is 
light buff, the tips of the flank feathers being barred with black. 
Mound-raising (K. H. Bennett).—About the ‘month of October 
the birds (two only) commence (if new to construct ; if old to repair) 
their huge mound-nests. In the former case they select a slight 
depression, such as where a stump has been burned out. This they 
fill with a mass of leaves, fragments of porcupine grass, mallee bark, 
&c., and in doing this the whole surface of the surrounding ground 
for many yards is swept perfectly clean. The method of doing this 
is to go out some distance from the site of the intended nest, and 
then walking backwards, alternately raking with each of their 
powerful feet, and, assisted by their wings, sweep everything loose 
toacommon centre. In the case of an old nest, they clean out the 
sand used for covering the eggs the previous year. Should the 
weather be moist at the time, the work goes on uninterruptedly, 
but should it be dry, they wait until a passing shower has damped 
the mass of vegetable deposit; this they then cover over with 3 
or 4 inches of sand, when the female commences the work of 
depositing her eggs. This she does by laying the egg on the sand 
covering the leaves, &c., and then leaning backwards grasps the egg 
sin both feet, placing it in an upright position (small end down), 
then holding it with one foot, she with the other gently rakes some 
sand around ; and changing feet does the same on the other side, 
until the egg will remain upright. It is then covered as well as the 
other part of the nest with several inches of sand. And here comes 
in the immense amount of work the birds have to perform at each 
subsequent laying, for the whole of the sand down to the level of 
the first egg (until the first layer or tier is completed) has to be 
removed, and so on with each successive layer, and as the mound 
increases ie height, the labour increases in proportion. The removal 
of the sand is effected by the aid of wings and feet, the bird dragging 
each small quantity thus obtained a sufficient distance to ensure its 
not running back. 
, The circumference of the part of the mound in which the eggs 
are deposited is about 3 feet, and around the edge of this space the 
eggs—usually 3, sometimes 4—are placed. ‘This completes the 
