Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-19
! A GIGANTIC NEST.
Hens Build for the Purpose of
Hatchiny Out the Young.
From the Cieveland Leader.

From the Cleveland Leader.
The malice hen of Australia LAYS its eggs
in a huge nest. The nest Is really an arti-
fetal mound Of gigantic proportions for
the size of its maker. and the purpose is
a cooperation incubator. 1t is built by
many pairs of birds, male and female
working alike to construct il. These same
pairs or fIocks of birds annually repair
and enlarge the queer looking cone which
rises up like a turret dome from the level
prairie.
Sometimes these tunnels attain a height
of fully fifteen feet in the perpendicular.
with "A radius of equal measurement Many
of these nests have measured as much as
nifty yards, or $50 feet. around their base.
That would give the largest one measured
u diameter of about fifty feet. These
mound nests are entered through a sort
OF funnel cavity at the top of the cone.
The hens of all the building and repair
Ing pairs lay in this immense nest. The
eggs are deposited about six feet below
the surface. While each hen lays her egg
egg closer than twenty inches to that Of
her neighbor. This egg is deposited
in a cavity made for il. wherein il is
placed in a vertical position. carefully
Smoothed over by the hen before she
quits The nest. Contrary 10 the usual
practice of the bird and fowl species. these
malice hens lay at night instead of in the
day Several days elaps, also between the
dropping of two eggs by the same hen.
The eggs of the malice hen are out of all
proportion to her size. They are as large
as those of Il goose. and of large hens
are very much larger.
The eggs thus laid and covered in this
great sand oven in the hot districts are
never again disturbed by the hens. The
eggs are Matched by the heat the sun
bakeS into the soil where they lay. 1t
has never been known how the young
chicks are eNcavated from their egg grave.
for the egg are deposited fully six inches
below the surface, and the hardening rains
do not aid their exit very much.
The hen is 50 very shy and yigiiant tina
no one is able to study her maternal and
domestic habits with satisfaction. As she
lays her eggs at night. and tranSactS most
of her affairs in the night watch 50 that
no naturalist or curious individual can
ferret her out. possibly she steals 70 her
and gives them the parental uucarthiug
which they must surely need after the
piping of the egg shell.
| Bush naturaliStS have been curious to
know how this peculiar fowl builds that
nest. The birds have been seen working
at II. and the mounds have been inspected.
but the piling of the dirt is not from
the Immediate vicinity, for that is uudi$-
tGrbed. Small springs and the like enter
into the plastic masonry, which stands
storms and heavy rains, when they do
fail. without serious injury.
The huge cones stand for years. to be
annually nested in by the sameiflock which
originally constructed the family incu-
| bator. When detected the hens emit a
pitiful little cackle. and iiutt"r away like
| n wounded innocent. The young of 4 CoVev
| either root under the sand or hide behind
some mound or object Of a friendly color.