Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1888-12-08
A VERY CURIOUS BIRD.
Habits Of the AThiso, QuesR Creature
Fdund "a thd Eastern sed1i

ANAeNAA- H~AN--
The maleo is about the size Of d small
turkey, and not Unlike 6ne id appear
ance, and belongs to the family Of meg
apOdes, or ''big-feet" which are also
called ''mound-builders. "
These latter are gallinaceous birds
(as are our common fowls or pheas-
ants), which are found in Australia and
Papua, or New Guinea, and which lay
their eggs, and then scratch Up and
carry immense quantities Of sticks,
leaves and earth over them, so that the
heat Of fermentation under a hot sun,
matches them. These birds have all
immense feet, well adapted for such
purpose, two or three times as large in
proportion as those Of our turkeys.
Instead Of using leaves and sticks and
sand, the maleo Of Celebes uses the
gravel Of the sea-beach alone to hatch
its eggs, and these eggs are extremely
large in proportion to the size Of the
bird.
They do not make regular mounds,
like their cousins, the megapodes Of
Australia, but the whole beach shows
a series Of elevations and depresslons,
like rough, confused sea. Contrary
to what we should imagine. the very
large eggs are not found at the very
bottom Of the depressions, nor on the
summit Of the mound Of gravel, but in
shallow trenches, and on the slopes Of
the irregular hummocks.
The natives OF the island understand
perfectly how to find them, by probing
in the gravel with flexible, delicate
stick II the egg has been lately laid,
and just covered, the gravel is very lit
tie packed, and easy to penetrate with
the stick, Then the gravel is scraped
away-the stick used again-and SO
the egg is reached at last.
It is often three or four feet below
the surface OF the mound. The heat Of
the beach, however, on which the trop-
ical sun is ever shining, matches the
eggs at this depth; for, after they are
once deposited and covered up, the
parent birds take no more notice Of
them.
The male birds, as we'll as the hens,
dig up the gravel to form the mounds,
and throw up the material in perfect
showers; and they do this in an odd
way, and not scratching alternately,
with both feet, like common fowls. The
maleo poises himself on one leg, and
gives rapid digs with the other, the
large foot, slightly webbed at tho base
Of the toes, being as large and effective
as q mans hand.
Although the explorers from the
Marchesa found the curious birds in
great numbers upon the seashore, they
could only get them by creeping up
quite close, and then running in and
shouting; when, instead of running off,
they took to their wings and perched
upon the forest trees which formed a
belt along the beach. Here they seemed
to think themselves perfectly safe, and
one can be shot at time, without put
ting to fight the others. They were
found to be delicious eating, and their
skins, being unique, most valuable for
stufing, for museums and collections.
The maleo's egg is huge, in proper
ton to the size of the body, and some
days elapses between the laying; and
the question is, why should the egg be
SO dispropOrtionate to the size Of the
birdp
The theory of Doctor Guillemard, the
naturalist who describes them, is that
the eggs of these birds would be ex-
posed to much risk If in an open nest,
while buried as they are they are COM
paratively safe. He says that the
weight Of such a mass of gravel must
be taken into consideration, when it
will be seen that no chick Of ordinary
size could force its way through it to
the surface. Hence the necessity OF a
large egg and a powerful chick; or, in
other words, the curious habit has been
adopted for the preservation Of the spe-
cies.-GOlde's Days