eee TN Re O DC A sOaNe
interstices, but always in 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 in the
same mound, even after it has been several times robbed. The natives say that the females lay an egg every day.
“Bight is the greatest number I have heard of from good authority as having been found in one nest; but |
opened a mound which had been previously robbed of several eggs, and found that two had been laid Opposite to
each other in the same plane in the usual manner ; and a third deposited in a plane parallel to that in which the
other two were placed, but 4! inches below them. ‘This circumstance led me to imagine it was possible that there
might be sometimes successive circles of eggs in different planes.
“J enclose three sketches which will convey to you a complete idea of the form of the mound, and of the
manner in which the eggs are placed in it. These sketches were drawn by Mr. Knight, from a rude one of mine,

and are very accurate.

IN@, 1.

 

This sketch represents a section through the mound after the sand has been cleared out in
such a manner that the eggs could all be removed, and the bottom of the nest of leaves be laid
bare. It shows the form of the opening the natives make in the mound when they rob it of its
eggs; this opening has however been continued below where the eggs are placed, in order to
show the form of the interior nest.

The pale tint represents that portion which is made of sand; the darker tint the part which is
made of leaves, &c.

 

This sketch shows a bird’s eye view of the mound as seen from
ae above ; the sand is supposed to have been so far thrown out as to

 

leave the tops of the eggs exposed, and to show them standing

This sketch represents a section through the mound in its undisturbed state: the pale tint
indicates the portion of sand, the darker tint the leaves, &c.

upright in their relative positions.

““One of the mounds of these birds which had been robbed of its eggs on the 11th November, some of which
were quite fresh, had two fresh eggs laid in it on the 27th of the same month, and the birds were seen at the nest
on the morning of the 28th, apparently for the purpose of laying, when the male bird was shot.

“Sometimes several of these mounds are constructed close to one another. I found two within 200 or 300
yards, and have seen five within the distance of four or five miles. T hey were built in precisely the same situations
that I have seen them in other parts of the continent, that is, in a sandy, scrubby country, the site of the mound
being in some little open glade, in the very thickest part of the scrub.

“The eggs are of a light pink, the colour being brightest and most uniform when freshly laid. As the time
of hatching approaches, they become discoloured and marked in places with dark spots.

The greatest length of these eggs is about So oeteie ss

ss breadth - ; ; ja
Circumference in direction of length 10

= 33

> » breadth . : . ; ’ . 7 oe

6“ . . ata 1
The temperature of the nests I have examined has always been warm; not so much so, however, as I should
have thought necessary for the purpose of hatching eggs.
‘““ There are two er lariti ue
are two great peculiarities about these eggs; the first is, that both ends are of nearly the same size ;
Ww hic . ae = . . e,e . . 1 1
h form is peculiarly adapted to the position in which they are always placed; the egg being compressed m

everv p Q Av] x7 x 14 eee s *. s s ° S j
ery part as nearly as possible towards the axis, in which the centre of gravity lies, there is the least possible