STRUTHIOUS BIRDS 277 



in Ceram, New Guinea, New Britain, North 

 Queensland, and elsewhere in the Australian region. 

 Here again there can be little doubt that complete 

 extermination will overtake these curious birds, 

 and perhaps even more speedily than in the case 

 of the Ostriches, Emus, and Rheas, for many of the 

 species are limited in their distribution to islands 

 where colonisation is rapidly spreading. The 

 Ceram Cassowary (Casuarius galeatus), is perhaps 

 the best known and the most frequently seen in 

 menageries and zoological gardens. It is confined 

 to the island of Ceram — a small place for such a 

 large species, not quite two hundred miles in 

 length and about fifty miles in breadth in its 

 widest part — where it is said to be still somewhat 

 common. Dr. Wallace thus describes this species : 

 " It is a stout and strong bird, standing five or six 

 feet high, and covered with long coarse black hair- 

 like feathers. The head is ornamented with a 

 large horny casque or helmet, and the bare skin of 

 the neck is conspicuous with bright blue and red 

 colours. The wings are quite absent, and are 

 replaced by a group of horny black spines like 

 blunt porcupine quills. These birds wander about 

 the vast mountainous forests that cover the island 

 of Ceram, feeding chiefly on fallen fruits, and on 



