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SOME NOTES ON CASSOWARIES. 



By the Hon. WALTER ROTHSCHILD, Ph.D. 



(Plates V, VI, VII.) 



WHEN on January 20, 1904, I described two subspecies of Casuarius 

 unappendiculatus, and three new species of Casuarius, all these birds 

 were immature both in plumage and in the colouring of the naked parts. 

 Unfortunately Casuarius hagenbecki died before attaining maturity, and C. un- 

 appendicidatus sufficsus is, owing to an attack of the fungoid disease peculiar to 

 cassowaries, at present unfit for sketching. However, Cas. unappendiculatus 

 mitratus, C. jamrachi, and C. doggetti are now quite adult, and in the finest 

 condition ; and as considerable changes have taken place in the naked parts, 

 I herewith give a fresh description of them. 



C. unappendiculatus mitratus. 

 Head, face, occiput, and face-wattles pale bine, inclining to greenish on occiput. 

 Hindueck pale yellow. Throat bluish violet, foreneck and sides of lower neck 

 deep crimson. Neck-wattle and three folds above it bright bine. Casque very 

 high, compressed at the sides, and abruptly truncate at the back. 



C. jamrachi. 

 Back and sides of head pale greenish blue, (.'bin, throat, foreneck and occiput 

 dark blue. An occipital patch deep buff. Cheek-wattle oval, small, whitish blue. 

 A pale blue small lappet at the base of lower mandible on each side. Hindueck 

 scarlet. On each side of the foreneck are two long thin wattles of a crimson-red 

 colour, tipped with white. At the lower end of the foreneck in the centre is a 

 pear-shaped pale blue wattle. Lower sides of neck mauve purple. Casque low, 

 sloping in front, three-cornered, as in C. papuanus and allies. 



C. doggetti. 



This bird has two wattles, one above the other, on the centre of the foreneck, 

 so I have treated it as a species, but it may be an extreme form or geographical 

 race of Casuarius unappendiculatus. 



Entire head, throat and occiput dark greenish bine, a large occipital patch 

 orange yellow. Fore- and hindneck yellow. Neck-wattles pale blue, cheek- 

 wattles dark blue, small. Lower sides of neck crimson, with a broad pale yellow 

 border. Casque high, abruptly declivous in front. 



We now know the following species and subspecies of Casuarius : 



Casuarius casuarius casuarius, Ceram. 



„ c. violicollis, Traugan Island, Aru Islands. 



,, c. beccarii, Vokan Island, Am Islands. 



„ c. salvadorii, Beran Peninsula. 



„ c. altijugus (= intensus Rothsch.), Geelviuk Bay. 



„ c. sclateri, British New Guinea. 



„ c. australis, N. Queensland. 



„ c. chimaera (?) 



