. A hand-book to the game-birds . .^gs yellow. Totallength, 17 inches; wing, 9*5 ; tail, 3*5 ; tarsus, 29. Eange.—New Hebrides. Mr. Layard writes:—The native name is Malou. This birdis getting very scarce in consequence of the rapid increase ofpigs and tame cats that have taken to the bush. It is a very shyand wary bird, and is found only on the sides of deep, denselywooded ravines, where it scratches about among the rocks forthe worms, small helices, and little hard seeds that form itsfood. The natives among the New Hebrides group tell methat in their islands the Malou deposits its eggs in a
. A hand-book to the game-birds . .^gs yellow. Totallength, 17 inches; wing, 9*5 ; tail, 3*5 ; tarsus, 29. Eange.—New Hebrides. Mr. Layard writes:—The native name is Malou. This birdis getting very scarce in consequence of the rapid increase ofpigs and tame cats that have taken to the bush. It is a very shyand wary bird, and is found only on the sides of deep, denselywooded ravines, where it scratches about among the rocks forthe worms, small helices, and little hard seeds that form itsfood. The natives among the New Hebrides group tell methat in their islands the Malou deposits its eggs in a holescratched under a rotten fallen log in the forest, and thencovers them up with leaves. This account was confirmed byan intelligent missionary on the island of Sandwich, or While staying on Vate I offered a large reward inbeads, tobacco, and tomahawks to any native who would con-duct me to a nest, so that I could get the out with myown hands. Just two days after I had left in tTie Day spring ioi PLATE LAYARDS MEGAPODE. THE TRUE MEGAPODES. l8l the Other islands, a man brought three eggs, fresh laid. Hewas told to come back again as soon as the vessel returned; buthe did not, and I never saw a nest. I travelled to a place on theeastern side of Vate, where I was told there were still a few ofthese birds remaining. ... I stole along carefully, juststepping from one rock to another, and every few yards stop-ping behind a tree to listen and reconnoitre. . Twice,I was certain, I heard scratching among the dead leaves, butcould see no birds. I could have had several shots at fowlsrun wild, but I was after nobler game. At length, as the batswere already flitting around my head, I thought it time to re-trace my footsteps. I had not gone far, when, with a hoarsecroak, a dark object bounded over the bottom of the water-course I was walking in. In the gathering darkness I couldonly see a black mass, like a stone, among the saplings. How-ever, as I knew I could no
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectgameandgamebirds
