Part 39

"When an egg is to be deposited, the top is laid open, and a hole scraped in its centre, within two or three inches of the bottom of the layer of dead leaves. The egg is placed in the sand just at the edge of the hole, in a vertical position, with the smaller end downwards; the sand is then thrown in again, and the mound left in its original form. The egg which has thus been deposited is therefore completely surrounded and enveloped in soft sand, having from four to six inches of sand between the lower end of the egg and the layer of dead leaves. When a second egg is laid, it is deposited in precisely the same plane as the first, but at the opposite side of the hole before alluded to. When a third egg is laid, it is still placed in the same plane as the others, but, as it were, at the third corner of a square. When the fourth egg is laid, it is still placed in the same plane, but in the fourth corner of the square, or rather of the lozenge, the figure being of this form, [Illustration]; the next four eggs in succession are placed in the interstices, but always on the same plane, so that at last there is a circle of eight eggs all standing upright in the sand, with several inches of sand intervening between each. The male bird assists the female in opening and covering up the mound, and, provided the birds are not themselves disturbed, the female continues to lay several eggs in the same mound, even after it has been several times robbed. The natives say that the females lay an egg every day. Eight is the greatest number I have heard of, from good authority, as having been found in one nest.

"The farthest point north at which I have seen the breeding-places of these birds is in Gantheaume Bay. The natives of King George's Sound say that the bird exists in their neighbourhood. I have never fallen in with its nests but in one description of country, viz., where the soil was dry and sandy, and so thickly wooded with a species of dwarf _Leptospermum_ that if you stray from the paths it is almost impossible to force your way through."

Besides the above particulars, we have from Gould the following account, which he elicited by cross-examination of several natives:--"There is only one male and one female to each mound; they repair an old mound, and do not build a new one; both assist in scratching the sand to the nest. The female commences laying about the beginning of September, or when the spear-grass begins to shoot. Both sexes approach the nest together when the female is about to lay, and they take an equal share in the labour of covering and uncovering the mound. After every sunrise the female lays an egg, and lays altogether from eight to ten. If the natives rob the mound, the female will lay again in the same nest, but she will only lay the full number of eggs twice in one summer. From the commencement of building until the last eggs are hatched, four moons elapse--this would give a very long period of time before the eggs were hatched. The young one scratches its way out alone, the mother does not assist it. They usually come out one at a time, occasionally a pair appear together. The mother, who is feeding in the scrub in its vicinity, hears its call and runs to it; she then takes care of the young one as a European Hen does of its chick. When all are hatched, the mother is accompanied by eight or ten young ones, who remain with her until they are more than half grown. The male bird does not accompany them. The two sexes have different calls, that of the female is constantly uttered as she walks about the scrub with her young ones.

"The natives frequently find the nest and eggs, but they seldom see the old birds, as they are very timid and quick-sighted. They run very fast like the Emu, roost on trees, live for a long time without water, but drink when it rains. The Ocellated Leipoa is a remarkably stout compact bird, and appears when alive to have as large a body as the female Turkey, but it is shorter in the legs. Mr. Schomburghk states that an egg he took home and placed under a Domestic Hen was hatched the next day, and the young bird appeared covered with feathers, and capable of at once obtaining its own food."

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The MEGAPODES (_Megapodii_) have a large slender body, moderate-sized neck, and large head; the broadly-rounded wing has the third, fourth, and fifth quills of equal length; the tail, formed of ten feathers, is short and rounded; the tarsus very strong, and longer than the long, powerful middle toe, which is armed like the rest with a formidable and slightly-hooked claw. The straight beak is usually shorter than the head, and vaulted towards its tip. The thick plumage is prolonged upon the back of the head and the region of the eye; a large portion of the head and the throat and neck are always bare. We are indebted to Gould, Gilbert, and Macgillivray for full particulars respecting the mode of life of the Megapodes. "The habits and economy of the birds comprised in this family are," says Gould, "both curious and extraordinary, nor are they less singular in their structure; indeed, in my own opinion, no group of birds is more isolated. By one of our best ornithologists one species has been classed with the _Vultures_, another placed it with _Meleagres_, and a third authority considered it to be allied to the genus _Ralles_. From the colonists of Australia the three species inhabiting that country have received the trivial names of Brush Turkey, Native Pheasant, and Jungle Fowl, but to none of these birds are they in any way allied. In general appearance the _Megapodidæ_ offer a certain degree of alliance to the _Gallinaceæ_, but in the peculiar shape, colouring, and odour of their eggs, and in the mode in which they are incubated, they are totally different, and in some of these respects resemble the tortoises and turtles. Three species belonging to different genera inhabit Australia; others exist in New Guinea and the neighbouring islands, and extend as far north as the Philippines."

THE AUSTRALIAN MEGAPODE.

The AUSTRALIAN MEGAPODE (_Megapodius tumulus_) is about the size of a female Pheasant. The head of this species is dark reddish brown, the back and wing reddish brown, the upper and lower tail-covers deep chestnut-brown, the quills and tail-feathers blackish brown, and back of the head and under side grey. The eye is light reddish brown, the beak of rather a darker shade, and the foot bright orange.

"On my arrival at Port Essington," says Gilbert, "my attention was attracted to numerous immense mounds of earth, which were pointed out to me by some of the residents as the tumuli of the aborigines; on the other hand, I was assured by the natives that they were formed by the Megapode for the purpose of incubating its eggs. This latter statement appeared so extraordinary, and so much at variance with the general habits of birds, that no one in the settlement believed them or took sufficient interest in the matter to examine the mounds, and thus to verify or refute their accounts. Another circumstance which induced a doubt of their veracity was the great size of the eggs brought in by the natives as those of this bird. Aware that the eggs of the Leipoa were hatched in a similar manner, my attention was immediately arrested by these accounts, and I at once determined to ascertain all I possibly could respecting so singular a feature in the bird's economy; and having procured the assistance of a very intelligent native, who undertook to guide me to the different places resorted to by these birds, I proceeded on the 16th of November to Knocker's Bay, a part of Port Essington Harbour, comparatively but little known, and where I had been informed a number of these birds were always to be seen." A detailed account follows of his finding several different mounds, which he examined, and was quite convinced that the natives had spoken the truth concerning them. Somewhat later, Mr. John Macgillivray observed the Megapode on Nago Island, in Endeavour Straits, and during his stay there was so fortunate as to procure both the male and the female, and to find several mounds containing eggs.

"Few birds," says this gentleman, "are more wary and less easily procured than the Megapodius; it inhabits the belts of brush along the coast, and I never found the tumulus at a greater distance from the sea than a few hundred yards. When disturbed this species seldom rises at once, unless on the margin of a thicket, but runs off to some distance and then takes to wing, flying heavily, but without any of the whirring noise of the true _Gallinaceæ_. It seldom takes a long flight, and usually perches on a tree, remaining there in a crouching attitude with outstretched neck, but flying off again upon observing any motion made by its pursuer; and it is only by cautiously sneaking up under cover of the largest trees that it can be approached within gunshot. As an example of its shyness, I may mention that a party of three persons scattered about in a jungle on Nago Island for the purpose of shooting the Megapodius did not see a single bird, although they put up several, one of which came towards me and perched, unconscious of my presence, within twenty yards. At Port Essington I have shot this bird among mangroves, the roots of which were washed by the sea at high water; and Captain F. P. Blackwood killed one while running on the mud in a similar locality, in both instances close to a mound."

Gilbert also confirms the statement that it is found near the shore. The Megapode, he says, is almost exclusively confined to the dense thickets immediately adjacent to the sea-beach; it appears never to go far inland, except along the banks of creeks. It is always met with in pairs, or quite solitary, and feeds on the ground, its food consisting of roots, which its powerful claws enable it to scratch up with the utmost facility, and also of seeds, berries, and insects, particularly the larger species of _Coleoptera_. He did not himself detect any note or cry, but, from the natives' description of it, it much resembles the clucking of a Domestic Fowl, ending with a scream like that of the Peacock. The mounds are very different, both as regards situation, size, and composition. They usually stand near the edge of water; some are composed of sand and shell, while others contain vegetable mould and decaying wood. Gilbert found one fifteen feet in height and sixty in circumference at the base, and another which covered a space of at least a hundred and fifty feet in circumference, and Macgillivray speaks of one of similar height and extent. It is most probable that these mounds are the work of several generations; whether each mound is resorted to by more than one pair, Mr. Macgillivray had not the means of ascertaining. "Some of them," he observes, "are evidently very ancient, trees being often seen growing from their sides. In one instance I found a tree which was a foot in diameter growing from the middle of a mound." The holes containing the eggs sometimes commence at the outer edge of the summit, and slope down obliquely, towards the centre, and sometimes run in an oblique direction from the centre towards the outer slope of the hillock. The eggs lie six feet deep from the summit, but only two or three feet from the side. "The natives," says Gilbert, "dig them up with their hands alone, and only make sufficient room to admit their bodies and to throw out the earth between their legs; their patience is, however, often put to severe trials, for they often dig down to a depth of six or seven feet without finding an egg, and are quite exhausted by their vain attempts. The eggs are placed in a perpendicular position, the larger end uppermost; they differ in size, but in form they assimilate; they are three inches and five lines long, by two inches and three lines broad. The composition of the mound appears to influence the colouring of a thin epidermis with which the eggs are covered, and which readily chips off, showing the true shell to be white; those deposited in the black soil are always of a dark reddish brown, while those from the sandy hillocks near the beach are of a dirty yellowish white. The natives affirm that the eggs are deposited at night, at intervals of several days." The exit of the young bird from the egg was not seen either by Macgillivray or Gilbert, but the latter found a young bird in a hole about two feet deep, lying on a few withered leaves, which appeared to be only a few days old. Gilbert took great care of the bird, intending to rear it, and placed it in a moderate-sized box containing a large quantity of sand. It fed freely on bruised corn, but was so wild and intractable that it would not reconcile itself to confinement, and escaped on the third day. While in captivity, it was incessantly occupied in scratching up the sand into heaps, and throwing it from one end of the box to the other with a rapidity quite surprising for so young and small a bird, its size not exceeding that of a small Quail. At night it was so noisy in its efforts to escape that its captor was kept constantly awake. In scratching up the sand it used only one foot, and having grasped a footful, threw it behind with but little apparent exertion, and without shifting its standing position on the other leg. This habit seemed to be the result of an innate restless disposition, and a desire to use its powerful feet, and to have but little connection with its feeding, for though Mr. Gilbert mixed Indian corn with the sand, he never detected the bird picking any up while so employed.

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The CURASSOWS, or HOCCOS (_Cracidæ_), are large or middle-sized birds, with slender bodies, much-rounded wings in which the four or five exterior primaries are graduated, and the secondaries prolonged, and a long powerful tail either slightly graduated or straight at its extremity. The beak, which is of various lengths and comparatively shorter than that of a Pigeon, is curved at the culmen, much hooked at the tip, and covered with a cere which extends over the whole region of the nostrils, and occasionally over the cheek-stripes and the excrescences exhibited by some species at the base of the bill. The rather high and sinewy foot is furnished with long thin toes placed on the same plane, and armed with narrow, long, pointed, and slightly hooked claws. The heavy plumage is composed of large feathers, some of which are broadly rounded, and in one family have the shafts of unusual size at the root, but gradually tapering towards the extremity. One species in particular possesses this peculiarity in a high degree, these broad shafts being ten or twenty times as thick at the centre as at the tip, and from six to ten times as thick as at the base, the lower portions of these broad shafts are covered with a downy web, whilst that of the extremity is close in texture. This peculiar structure of the feathers is much developed in the hinder parts of the body, and slightly on the wings and tail. Dusky hues predominate in the coloration of the plumage. These fine birds inhabit the forests of South America, and build their nests in trees. Like the rest of the order, they subsist upon worms, insects, fruits, and the seeds of plants. The above definition includes two distinct families--the CRACES or TRUE CURASSOWS, and the PENELOPÆ or GUANS.

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The TRUE CURASSOWS, or HOCCOS (_Craces_), are powerfully-framed birds, possessing a high, much-curved beak, with compressed sides, and furnished with a cere and excrescences at its base. During the period of incubation the latter swell to a considerable size, and in one species present the appearance of a horn placed in the centre of the brow, and in another assume the appearance of a large pear-shaped excrescence. The strong foot is moderately high, and the toes rather long, the wing short, with its seventh and eighth quills longer than the rest, and the rounded tail of medium size. The plumage upon the brow and nape usually forms a comb-like crest composed of slender, stiff feathers, which incline backwards at their roots, but project forwards at their curved tips. The feathers on the cheeks, upper throat, and hinder parts are soft and downy, and those on the lower neck and rump coarse and harsh; the region of the eye is bare, and the cheeks covered with small hair-like feathers.

The members of this family occupy the forests of tropical America, where they frequent the trees, and but rarely descend upon the ground, over the surface of which, however, they can run with great rapidity; their flight is slow, horizontal, and never long sustained, and their mode of disporting themselves when upon the branches of trees, easy though slow. During the breeding season they are met with in pairs, and at other times in small parties of some three or four birds. In all the various species the voice is peculiar, but very different in tone, and is heard most frequently during the period of incubation, or in the early morning, when they first awake from sleep. The Indians maintain, and Schomburghk has corroborated the statement, that one species, the _Urax tomentosa_, always utters its cry at the moment that the beautiful constellation called the Southern Cross attains its greatest altitude. In their wild state the Hoccos subsist principally on fruit and berries of various kinds, and occasionally consume insects, worms, and portions of certain plants; to the strong odour of some of the latter is probably attributable a most unpleasant flavour occasionally observable in their flesh. We are but little acquainted with the incubation of these birds, except that they build a flat nest made of twigs interlaced and lined with leaves, and placed upon the branches at no great distance from the ground. Bates and Schomburghk are of opinion that the large white eggs are but two in number; Gray, on the contrary, states that the female lays as many as five or six. In their native forests the Hoccos exhibit no fear of man, and if attacked, seem perfectly unconscious of danger, even should they see their companions fall dead around them. When living in the vicinity of human habitations, on the contrary, they become extremely timid, and if approached, at once take wing. The Indians not only eat the flesh of these birds, but employ their strong quills and tail-feathers as fans; the small feathers are also used in various kinds of ornamental work. In different parts of America Curassows have long been domesticated, and at one time were, it is said, thoroughly acclimatised in Holland by M. Armschoff, proving in his menagerie as prolific as any of our barn-door poultry.

THE COMMON OR CRESTED CURASSOW.

The COMMON or CRESTED CURASSOW (_Crax alector_) is nearly as large as a Turkey, being about thirty-six inches long. Its plumage is of a glossy black, and gleams with green and purple when exposed to the rays of the sun; the belly is white. The stout black beak is furnished with a large yellow cere at the base of both mandibles, and the eye is surrounded by a bare skin. The female is black only upon the head, neck, and breast; the feathers upon her belly are rust-red, and those of her wings and legs marked with reddish yellow.

This fine bird is common in Brazil, from Guiana to Paraguay, and is called "Powese" by the natives on account of its cry, which is said to resemble that word. Its flesh is much valued and forms an important article of food to the planters. In their native woods these birds exhibit little fear of man, but become more cautious when in the vicinity of human habitations; they are readily tamed, however, and are constantly kept by the natives as domestic pets. Sonnini mentions having seen them, when in Guiana, running freely about in the streets and entering the houses to obtain food; at night they slept on the house-tops or similar situations, and Bates gives an interesting account of a fine specimen that he saw running about a house quite like one of the family. It attended at all the meals, and passed from one person to another round the table to be fed, attracting the attention of the guests in a coaxing manner by rubbing its head against their cheeks and shoulders. At night it slept on a chest close to the hammock of a little girl to whom it was particularly attached, and followed her about the grounds in all her walks like a dog.

THE WATTLED CURASSOW.

The WATTLED CURASSOW (_Crax carunculata_) is distinguishable from the species last described by the inferiority of its size, and the red hue of its cere. The plumage of the male is black, with the exception of the white belly and wings. The eye is brown, the tip of the beak black, the cere red, and the foot yellowish red. The female has part of her throat and breast spotted with white, and the wings and upper part of the belly and legs with reddish yellow, the rump and lower portions of the belly are brownish red. The length of this species is thirty-four inches and the breadth forty-seven inches, the wing measures fourteen and the tail thirteen inches and a half. The Wattled Curassow inhabits the forests on the eastern coasts of Brazil, and is met with from Rio de Janeiro to Bahia.

THE RED CURASSOW.

The RED CURASSOW (_Crax rubra_) is at once recognisable by its beautiful chestnut-brown plumage; the feathers on the nape and part of the throat are striped black and white, and those that form the tail adorned with yellowish white lines edged with black. The eye is reddish brown, the beak horn-grey, the cere blueish black, and the foot lead-grey.

This species is about two feet and six or eight inches long. It has a large strong bill, and a crest composed of twisted and curled feathers, tipped with black at their broad extremities. The Red Curassows inhabit Mexico, Peru, and the West Indian Islands. They are easily tamed, and associate freely with other poultry; this accounts for mongrel birds being often seen that differ much from the parent stock. In their native wilds they are by no means shy, and will suffer themselves to be shot at many times before they attempt to escape.

THE GALEATED CURASSOW.

The GALEATED CURASSOW (_Urax pauxi_) is characterised by the large, pear-shaped excrescence situated above the nostril, its thick, curved beak, which is vaulted from its base to the tip, and the absence of a crest upon its head. The plumage is principally of a glossy blackish green, with white upon the belly and tip of the tail; the eye is reddish brown, the beak red, the excrescence on the beak blueish black, and the foot light red. The windpipe of this bird is much elongated, and after continuing down the whole length of the pectoral muscle, forms a loop and ascends again before entering the chest.

The Galeated Curassow is met with in flocks in the Mexican forests, where it perches in the trees, but makes its nest upon the ground. The mother leads forth her young in the same manner as a Hen, and feeds them at first with worms, insects, and larvæ, but at a later period they subsist upon grain and berries. This species is easily domesticated, and was one of those which bred in Holland in M. Armschoff's menagerie.

THE MOUNTAIN CURASSOW, OR LORD DERBY'S GUAN.