The Place Is
Situated In The Large Bay Between The Islands Of Limbe And Banca,
And Consists Of Steep Beach More Than A Mile In Length, Of Deep
Loose And Coarse Black Volcanic Sand (Or Rather Gravel), Very
Fatiguing To Walk Over.
It is bounded at each extremity by a
small river with hilly ground beyond, while the forest behind
the beach itself is tolerably level and its growth stunted.
We
probably have here an ancient lava stream from the Klabat
volcano, which has flowed down a valley into the sea, and the
decomposition of which has formed the loose black sand. In
confirmation of this view, it may be mentioned that the beaches
beyond the small rivers in both directions are of white sand.
It is in this loose, hot, black sand that those singular birds,
the "Maleos" deposit their eggs. In the months of August and
September, when there is little or no rain, they come down in
pairs from the interior to this or to one or two other favourite
spots, and scratch holes three or four feet deep, just above
high-water mark, where the female deposits a single large egg,
which she covers over with about a foot of sand - and then returns
to the forest. At the end of ten or twelve days she comes again
to the same spot to lay another egg, and each female bird is
supposed to lay six or eight eggs during the season. The male
assists the female in making the hole, coming down and returning
with her. The appearance of the bird when walking on the beach is
very handsome. The glossy black and rosy white of the plumage,
the helmeted head and elevated tail, like that of the common
fowl, give a striking character, which their stately and somewhat
sedate walk renders still more remarkable. There is hardly any
difference between the sexes, except that the casque or bonnet at
the back of the head and the tubercles at the nostrils are a
little larger, and the beautiful rosy salmon colour a little
deeper in the male bird; but the difference is so slight that it
is not always possible to tell a male from a female without
dissection. They run quickly, but when shot at or suddenly
disturbed, take wing with a heavy noisy flight to some neighbouring
tree, where they settle on a low branch; and, they probably roost
at night in a similar situation. Many birds lay in the same hole,
for a dozen eggs are often found together; and these are so large
that it is not possible for the body of the bird to contain more
than one fully-developed egg at the same time. In all the female
birds which I shot, none of the eggs besides the one large one
exceeded the size of peas, and there were only eight or nine of
these, which is probably the extreme number a bird can lay in one
season.
Every year the natives come for fifty miles round to obtain these
eggs, which are esteemed as a great delicacy, and when quite fresh,
are indeed delicious.
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