The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-03-29
A GIGANTIC NEST.

J A Great Cone Which the Australian Hens
guiid for the Purpose eff Hatchtng
/ The malice hen of Australia lays its
eggs in huge nest. The nest is really
an artificial mound of gigantic proper
| lions for the size of its maker, and the
purpose it is to serve. This artificial
mound is a cooperation Incubator. It
| is built by many pairs of bids, male and
female working alike to construct it,
These same pairs or focks of birds annu-
ally 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 per-
pendicular, with a radius of equal meas
urement. Many of these nests have
measured as much as fifty yards, or 80
feet, around their base. That would
give the largest one measured diameter
of about fifty feet. These mound nests
are entered through sort of funne
cavity at the top of the cone.
The hens of all the building and re-
pairing pairs lay in this immense nest.
The eggs are deposited about six feet
her egg in the family mound, no hen
DROPS her egg closer than twenty inches
to that of her neighbor. These eggs are
deposited in cavity made for it, where
in it is placed in vertical position, care
fully smoothed over by the hen before
she quits the nest. Contrary to the
usual practice OF the bird and fowl Spe.
cies, these malice hens lay at night iu-
stead of in TIE day. Several days eIapse
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 goose, and those of
large hens, are very much larger.
The eggs thus laid are covered in this
great sand oven in the hot districts are
never again disturbed by the hens. The
eggs are Matched by the he at the sun
bakes into the soil where tGey lay. 1t
has never been known how the young
chicks are excaYated from their grave,
for the eggs are deposited fully six
inches below the surface, and the har-
dening rains do not aid their exit very
much.
The hen is so very shy and viglant
that no one is able to study her m 4ter>
nal ami domestic habits with satisfac-
ton. AS she lays her eggs at night and
transacts most of her affairs in the night
watch SD that no naturalist or curious
individual can ferret her out, possibly
she steals to her expected brood under
cover of night also, and gives them the
pa;ernal unearthing 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 haye been seen work
ing at it, and the mounds have been in
spected, but the Diling of the dirt is not
from the immediate vicinity, for that
is undisturbed. Small sprigs and the
like enter into the plastic masonry,
which stands storms and heavy rains,
when they do fall, without serious in
jury
These huge cones stand for years, to
be annually nestled in the same flock,
which originally constructed the family
Incubator. When detected the hens
emit pitiful little cackle, and fnlter
| away like a wounded innocent The
| young of a coyey either root under the
stand or hide behind some mound or
| object of friendly color