NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 1069 



on them in a bold round hand, veiy characteristic of the first quai-ter 

 of the nineteenth century, the words ' Casoar male'; and lastly, that 

 during the latter part of Cuvier's life, about 1825-30, an exchange of 

 specimens had taken place between the Paris and Florence ]\Iuseunis. 

 I have thus vri-y little doubt that our specimen is the missing fhirfl one 

 brought alive to Paris by Peron in 1804-5." 



The melancholy part of the histoiy in connection with the specimens, 

 is that Peron was not aware that the Emu he discovered on Kangaroo 

 Island, being smaller and darker, was specifically quite distinct from the 

 mainland bird. When Vioillot's species was pronounced to be a good 

 one it was too late — much too late — to prociu'e more bn-ds, for it is 

 stated that the fii-st settler (who shall be nameless) on Kangaroo Island 

 deliberately exterminated not only all the Emus there, but the Kanga^ 

 roo3 al-so. 



1 have often thought the extinct Emu of Tasmania (of which the only 

 relics remaining are one or two eggs) was possibly distinct from the main- 

 land Emu. Judging from an egg now in the possession of Mr J. W. 

 Mellor, Fiilham, South Australia, the bird was small like the Kangaroo 

 Island one. 



The egg may be described as elliptical in shape and othermse similar 

 to that of D. novo" hoUandice, but smaller. Dimensions in 

 inches : 4'8 x 3-5. 



FAMILY— CASUARIID.E : CASSOWARIES. 



765. — Casu.\rius austrai.is, Wall. — (494) 

 CASSOWARY. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., supp., pis. 70 and 71. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxvii., p. 594. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Ramsay: Proc. Zool. See, p. 119 

 (1876); Campbell: Victorian Naturalist (i886) ; Lumholtz : 

 Among Cannibals, p. gg (1S90) ; North : Austn. Mus. Cat., 

 p'.. 15 {18S9) ; Campbell : Roy. Phys. See, Edin., vol. xiii., 

 p. 229 {i8g6) ; Meston : Proc. Roy. Soc. Q., vol. x. — xii. (1892-7 



GengraphirnJ Diitrihution. — ^North Queensland. 



Nest. — A bed of sticks, leaves, and such-like vegetable debris, usually 

 placed near the base of a large tree in dense scrub. 



Efff/s. — ^Clutch, four to six ; some authorities state three to five ; 

 of a gi-aceful elHptical fonn, and superficially like shagreen or rough 

 American cloth, but not so rough or granulated as the Emu's (Bromaius) 

 egg. General appearance in colour, beautiful light pea^green, but if ex- 

 amined vertically the raised rough particles only of the shell will be 

 found to be gi-een, whUe the minute intei^stices are greenish-white. 

 Dimensions in inches: (1) 5-56 x 3-75, (2) 5'43 x 3-81, (3) 5-43 x 3-62 ; 

 of an elongated example in Mr. S. A. White's collection : 6-25 x 3-75, 

 (Plate 27.) 



