THE EMU. 191 



THE EMU. 



The ostrich has a very near relation, called the emu, that lives in New 

 South Wales. He is larger than the ostrich, and has three toes instead of 

 two. But the toes, as in the ostrich, all point forward. 



He may be said to have no wings at all, for unless they are lifted up no 

 one can see them, and they look more like rough hair than plumage. The colour 

 is a dull brown, mottled with a dirty grey. On the head and neck the 

 feathers are still more like hairs, and are so thinly scattered on the throat 

 and ears that the purple hue of the skin is clearly seen. And there is a 

 parting down the back where the feathers divide and fall on either side. 



There are many of these curious birds in New Holland, and they are 

 hunted in the same manner as the kangaroo, by men and dogs. 



We should tell you that the dogs, as a rule, very much dislike meddling 

 with the emu, and have to be trained before they are of any use. In some 

 places they are taught to go into the woods and look out for the game, and 

 to come back to their master's dwelling, and make known to him the spot 

 where the emu or the kangaroo is to be found. 



Then the hunters follow them. The native thinks more of the flesh of 

 the emu than he does of the kangaroo, and he gets very much excited, and 

 he and his companions set up shout after shout, that echoes far and wide. 



The emu runs very fast indeed, and the swiftest dogs have great difficulty 

 in overtaking him. When he is overtaken, he stands, like a stag, at bay, and 

 often kicks out his foot, and so wounds the dogs. But the well-trained dog 

 is taught to spring at the emu's neck, and keep out of the way of his foot. 



But when the hunt has been successful, and the bird has been killed, the 

 banquet that follows is a very select one. Only a favoured few are allowed 

 to partake, and the young men are not permitted to touch it ; if they do, they 

 are severely punished. 



The flesh is said by a traveller to be very delicious, and something 

 between that of a turkey and a sucking-pig. But, at the time he partook of 

 it, he and his companions were in a state of famine, which might account for 

 his liking it so well. 



The English settlers say it is a little like beef, both to look at and to 



