The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-06-27
is retained but their fine fur.

Inere is at present on exhibition at
the Central Park menagerie, for a
short time only, while in transit for
Europe, very rare specimen of
bird belonging to the family Meg
apodiidB $50 named because of their
large feet). This is the first specimen
ever brought alive to this country,
and will be the first living example
ever seen in Europe, should it arrive
there safely. 1t is native of one Of
the East Fou or PROXY
Island, which is situated about half
way between the Feejee and Samoan
Islands. The bird is of a uniform
blackish-brown color, cheeks and up
per part of neck vermillion red,
slightly feathered with small black
plumes, bill bright yellow. tarsi and
toes pale yellow, claws black; length
from bill to end of tail about IA
inches. There are about twenty spe-
cies belonging to this family of meg
apOds. They are found chiefly in the
tropics, and inhabit dense forests and
swamps. generally in the vicinity of
the sea beach. These birds are re-
markable for the extraordinary con-
trivances resorted to by them to
obtain the artificial heat necessary to
hatch their eggs. For this purpose
some Of them form mounds, and are
hence called ''mound builders"
These mounds, which sometimes
reach fourteen feet in height, with
circumference of $50 feet, are COM
posed partly of vegetable matter,
which the birds bring by small guam
titles at time in their large feet. In
the middle Of these mounds, at
various depths (from Is inches to
several fee y the females deposit their
eggs, some in the form Of circle,
while others of different species
place them irregularly. When the
eggs are all deposited, the center is
entirely covered in, and the mound
raised several feet in the form of a
cone. The heat produced by the fer
mentation of the vegetable matter is
then retained within the mass, and
brings the eggs to maturity. The
birds are usually engaged in laying
their eggs during period of from
two to three months. The Celebean
megapod has different method of
Matching it's eggs; it places them in
hole which it has dug out of rotten
stump: then. covering them up with
vegetable matter, leaves them.
Again, other members of the family
burrow obliquely into the sand along
the seashOre to a depth of three of
four feet. deposit their eggs at the
bottom, then cover up the mouth or
the hole, and try to conceal their foot
marks leading thereto by scattering
the sand about. The habits of the
Central Park spesies (Megapodius
pritchardii) differ from those of the
others in some respects. 1t scoops
out its nest in the side of a little lake
in the center of the island, between
one and two feet in depth, laying about
forty eggs in the months of September
and October. The exact period of
incubation is unknown. The most
remarkable thing about these birds is
that. after all the trouble and care
taken for the preservation of their
eggs. they should be so utterly indif-
ferent to the fate of their young,
leaving them to scratch their way out
of whatever position the eggs were
placed in, and to take care Of them
selves afterwards.
The American Oyster.--It is well
known fact that the edible oyster
(ostyea edulis) attains its full growth
and proper flavor only in the waters
of the American coast; and that its
representative in Great Britain ow-
ing to perhaps some trouble in it's
environments, has dwindled down
to minute coppery.favored bivalve,
which affords to the evolutionist a
melancholy example Of "reversion,'
and to the American gastronome an
object Of aversion. 1t is no wonder,
then. that when one of our American
oysters is seen for the first time by an
inhabitant Of the British Isles. it
should call forth expressions Of great
surprise. An English gentleman who
has been INDUCING in some of our ex-
ported .Blue Points" writes to the
''notes and queries" column Of re.
cent number of Land and Water,
asking for information in regard to
these delicious mollusks." He says:
''As an old correspondent, want to
know, in common with many Of your
readers, who have asked me the ques-
tion, what are Blue Point oysters
Now, perhaps my friend Mr.. Buck
land, who has done SO much for and
written 50 well on these delicious mol
lusks, will enlighten us. Tempted by
the advertisement in Land and Wa
ter, sent to the Office Of the new d.
rect supply and trading association,
Cannon, street, for a bag of fifty for
only As. including knife. i found
them excellent, notwithstanding the
shape Of some of the
shells, which ] send with this. One
of them you will see is like the Irish
mans gun. which, being bent, he said
was made to shoot around the corn
ers; but the contents Of this were very
fine, large. and pump. as indeed all
were. more or less; the contents OF
the smallest shells were frequently
larger than those contained in the
more pretentious. / wish to direct
your attention to the large black spot
in the middle of the fat shells of all
of them; they are now slightly fading,
but when first opened were quite
black. ! should like to know If this
color has anything to do with the fla
vor, for / found the blue points 50
good that / have had three. and am
now going to order another basket.