418 



CURSOKES. 



its head and the back of the neck are clothed with fea- 

 thers, but tlie throat is naked, and the plumage, which 

 hangs down like long hair on eacli side of the body, is of 

 a mixture of brown and grey tints. The Emu is abun- 

 dant in the southern parts of Australia, but is rapidly 

 becoming extinct in tlie British colonies. Its flesh is 





Fig. Iti7. — the emu. 

 {Dromaius JVovce IIollandcB.) 



very good, that of the young bird being exceedingly 

 delicate. The eggs, wdiich are of a green colour, are also 

 eaten both by natives and colonists ; and the natives of 

 some districts are said to live principally upon Emus' 

 eggs during the breeding season of these birds. Unlike 

 the Rhea, the Emu pairs, but the male hatches the eggs. 



