AUSTRALIAN TURKEY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 30, 25 July 1891, Page 211

AUSTRALIAN TURKEY.

The scrub turkey of Australia seems to differ almost as widely from the bird of the poultry-yard as do the Cape Cod and sage brush varieties. Some of its strange habits are described by the author of ‘ My Wife and I in Queensland.’ Its habitat is in the thickest scrubs, where it is hard to get at. In appearance it much resembles the English henturKey, though considerably smaller. The most extraordinary thing about these birds is their nest, which is a circular mound of earth from three to four feet in height, and ten or fifteen feet in diameter. This must be the headquarters of a whole colony, for, large as it seems, the mound is at certain seasons full of eggs. These are of an enormous size compared with that of the bird. They are covered carefully with sand, and hatched, as I suppose, by heat; although in the dense scrubs in Northern Queensland, where I have found the nests, not one ray of sun could penetrate to them. However hatched, it is impossible, without netting the whole mound, to catch the young ones, for the moment they burst the egg they scrape their way out of the sand and disappear in the sciub like a flash of lightning. I think little is known of their habits, for I believe they do not breed in confinement; but I was lucky in stumbling on a nest once, whilst wandering through the scrub in search of a particular butterfly. Having nothing better to do, I sat down and watched it, and saw four or five of the little things come wriggling out and dive into the scrub, being lost to sight in an instant. Although I remained there at least three hours, and perfectly motionless, I saw no sign of the old birds, so that I imagine the little things must have instinct enough to cater dor themselves.