MEGAPODIUS TUMULUS, cow. 
Mound-raising Meg:apode. 
Megapodins tumulus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., February 8, 1842, 
Ovoregoorga, Aborigines of the Cobourg Peninsula. 
Junglefowl, Colonists of Port Essineton. 
Tux discovery of a species of Megapodius in Australia, as soon as the northern portions of the cowitry 
should be subjected to a careful investigation, is uo more than might have been expected, considering that 
New Guinea and the adjacent islands are the ereat nursery of this extraordinary tribe of birds, 
When the Megapodius Tumulus first came under my observation T conceived it to be the WZ rubripes of 
M. Temuminck, and it was not until T had examined specimens of that species in the Museums of Paris and 
Leyden that [I was satisfied of its being distinet. Its much greater size and more than proportionately 
powerful legs are among the specific differences whieh will be observable by those who may feel disposed to 
institute a comparison, Interesting as this bird must be to every naturalist, to myself it is peculiarly so, 
sinee the valuable notes on its habits and economy which happily Tam enabled to give fully confirm all 
that I had previously asserted respecting the extraordinary mode of incubation of the Tulegalla, veritying 
the opinion L have before expressed, that Megapodins, Tulegalla aud Leipoa are most yearly allied genera 
forming part of a great family of birds, whose range will be found to extend from the Philippines throneh 
the islands of the Indian Archipelago to Australia, 
The Megapodius Tianulis is rather numerously spread over the whole of the Cobourg Peninsula on the 
north coast of the Australian continent, where the British settlement of Port Essington is now established ; 
future research will doubtless require us to assign to it a much wider range, probably oyer the whole extent 
of the north coast. 
The following acconnt of its habits is taken from Mr, Gilbert’s notes ; and novel and extraordinary as 
ny deseription of those of Tidegalla and Leipoa may have been considered, this will be read with even 
greater interest. 
“On my arrival at Port Essington my attention was attracted to numerous immense mounds of earth, which were pointed out 
tu ine by some of the residents as the tumnli of the aborigines; on the other hand I was assured by the natives that they were 
formed by the jungle-fowl for the purpose of incubating its eggs: their statement appeared so extraordinary, and so much at variance 
with the general habits of birds, that no one in the settloment believed them, or took sufficient interest in the matter ta exaimiue 
the moiwids, and thus to yerity or vefute their accounts; another circumstance whieh induced a doubt of their veracity, was the 
wreut size of the eges brought in by the natives as those of this bird. Aware that the eggs of Leipon were hatched in a similar 
manner, my attention was immediately arrested by these accounts, and I at once determined to ascertain all T possibly could 
respecting so singular a feature in the bird’s economy; and having procured the assistance of a very intelligent native, who muder- 
took to guide me to the different places resorted to by the bird, 1 proceeded on the sixteenth of November to Kuocker's Bay. a part 
of Port Essington Harbour eouparatively but little known, and where I had been informed a number of these birds were always to 
he seen, I Janded beside a thicket, and had not proceeded far from the shore ere I came to a mowed of sand and shells. with a 
slight mixture of black soil, the base vesting on a sandy beach, only a few feet above high water mark; it was enveloped in the 
large yellow-blossomed fibiseus, was of a conical form, twenty feet in circumference at the base, and abont five feet in height, On 
pointing it out to the native and asking him whatit was, he replied, ‘Oooregoorgaé Ranibal, Jimgle-towls’ house or nest. 1 then 
scrambled up the sides of it. and to my extreme delight found a young bird in a hole about two feet deep; it was lying on a few dry 
withered leaves, and appeared to be only a few days old. So far I was satisfied that these mounds had some eounexion with the 
bird's mode of jucubution; bot was still sceptical as to the probability of these young birds ascending from so great a depth as the 
natives represcuted, and my suspicions were confirmed by my being unable to induce the native, in this iustance. to search tor the 
evgs, lis excuse being that ‘he knew it would be of no use, as he saw no traces of the old birds haying recently been there,’ 1 tool 
the utmost cave of the young bird, intending to rearit if possible; I therefore obtained a moderately sized box, and placed in it a larve 
portion of sand, As it fed rather freely on bruised Indian corn I was in full hopes of succeeding, but it proved of so wild and in- 
tractable a disposition that it would not reconcile itself to such close confinement, and effected its escape on the thirdday. During 
the period it remained in captivity it was incessantly oceupied in scratching up the sand into heaps, and the rapidity with which it 
threw the sand from one end of the box to the other was quite surprising for so young and small a bird, its size not being laryer than 
that of a small quail, At night it was so restless that 1 was constantly kept awake by the noise it made im tts endeayours to eseape. 
Tu seratching up the sand it only used one foot, and having grasped a handful as if were, ahi suru was thrown behind Ht with but 
little apparent exertion, and without shifting its standing position on the other leg; this balit Soemitt to + the result of fi innate 
restless disposition and a desire to use its powerful feet, and to have bnt little connexion with its feeding; for although Indian corn 
was mixed with the sand, 1 never detected the bird in picking any of it up while thus employed, 
“T continued to receive the eves withont laving an opportunity of secing them taken from the mound until the sixth of February, 
when on again visiting Knocker’s Bay [ had the gratification of seeing two taken from a depth of six feet, in one of’ the birgest 
nuiurids I had then seen, Inthis instance the holes ran down in an oblique direction from the centre towards the onter slope of the: 
hillock, so that although the eggs were six feet deep from the summit, they were ouly two oF three feet from HE ges The birds are 
said to lay buta single egg in each hole, and after the egg is deposited the earth is aii: thrown down lightly ant the hole 
is filled up; the upper part of the mound is then smoothed and rounded over, It ss easily known when a J nagletiwl lines eon 
recently excavating, front the distinct impressions of its feet on the top and sides of the mourn, and ne cog being so lightly 
thy Rae over, that with a slender stick the direction of the hole is readily detected, the euse bf difficulty of thrusting the stick down 
indicating the length of time that may have elapsed since the bird's operations. ‘Thus fir it is easy enough; but to reach the eygs 
Hequires no Tittle exertion and perseverance. ‘Che natives dig them up with their hands alone, and only mike sufficient room 
