. The birds of Australia. Birds. THE MALLEE FOWL 11 mounds are usually from two to four feet high and about twelve feet in diameter. Before laying, the bird scrapes out most of the sand from the egg cavity; and, the egg being laid, leaning well back she holds it upright with the smaller end down with one foot, while with the other she scrapes sand around it until it can stand alone. She then covers the whole over with sand. Every time an egg is laid the same process has to be gone through. The first circle of eggs is covered with about two inches of sand, and then a second tier is commenced, e
. The birds of Australia. Birds. THE MALLEE FOWL 11 mounds are usually from two to four feet high and about twelve feet in diameter. Before laying, the bird scrapes out most of the sand from the egg cavity; and, the egg being laid, leaning well back she holds it upright with the smaller end down with one foot, while with the other she scrapes sand around it until it can stand alone. She then covers the whole over with sand. Every time an egg is laid the same process has to be gone through. The first circle of eggs is covered with about two inches of sand, and then a second tier is commenced, each egg. /7i situ. Nesting Mound Mallee Fowl: Lipoa ocellata. D. Le Souef. of which is laid opposite an interspace of the lower tier. There are often three tiers, each of from three to five eggs, the full clutch being about fourteen. The temperature of the egg chamber is from 95° to 96° F. The eggs are laid at daybreak on every third day. Incubation commences as soon as the egg is laid, and consequently the young hatch out at different times. The parent birds keep the mound well worked, usually opening it up at daybreak, so that the young which are ready to hatch out from the eggs of the lower tier are able to liberate themselves at that time. Those of the upper tier can make their way out through the supervening loose sand without Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Lucas, Arthur Henry Shakspere; Le Soue?f, W. H. Dudley. Melbourne, London [etc. ] Whitcombe and Tombs Limited
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License: Licensed
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1911
