CASUAiiiu.s. 395 



Order CASUARII. 

 Family CASUARIID^. 



Casuarius australis. 



AUfSTlJALIAN c'ASSi iWAKY. 



Casuarius auslralig, Wall, Illustr. Syd. News, 3rcl June, lSo4, p. SS, with fifs. 



Casuarius australis (Wall), Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. II., p. 206 (1805) ; /'r/., Suppl. Inls. 

 Austr., fol. Vol., pis. 70, 71 ( ISGlt) ; Salvad., (."at. Bds. I'.rit. Mus., Vol. XXVII., p. 594 

 (lt^95); Sharpe, Ilaml-I. Bds., Vol. I., p. 3 (IS'.I'J); North, Reo. Austr. Mus, Vol. X,, p. 39, 

 pis. viii., i.x. (1913). 



Adult UM.K.— Entire />hun<ii/,' a/mr,' and b^'hnn hlark, Ihr /,ath''rs veri/ lutiy ami hair-lik,- : 

 hfivl, upper neck ami si<l,s of loiivr neck /»ire uf feathers, hut spariuyli/ curered until j! ae, tilackish hair- 

 like bristles, which are much stronger above the eyelid and aural upeuinij, the top of the head surmounted 

 n-ith a liyht bron-nish-hlack casque .- bare skin of head and neck />ale (jreeuish-bhie, of fore-neck dark 

 bine, of h iud-neck red : on the l„n-er fore-neek a lanje red dependent b ijid. >mttle ; wings rndimentary, 

 consisting of Jine Strom/ nniiided (jnills n-ithoiU webs: no np/iarent tail, hnt the feathers rery long 

 un the hinder parts. Total length (of skin) Ho inches, of longest qnill tl, height of casque from the 

 upper base of upper ninu.dible 7, width at base from back to front '>, height from base, immediately 

 above eye, J/7o, tarsus 12, nail to outer toe 1:'>. to middle toe l-r,, h, inner toe o-2, iratlle 7, from the 

 junction to the end (f bifed portion .J^J. 



Adult fkmalr. — Similar in plumage to the male. 



Distribntion. — Nor til -eastern (Jueensland. 



^^ 1 Hi two fli.ghtless birds representing this Order in Australia are distinguished by their 

 having only rudimentary wings, in the feathers appearing to be double, the after shaft 

 being as long as the main shaft. The present species is distinguished by having a horny helmet 

 on top of the head, the wing being represented by a series of long, round, black quills of various 

 lengths, somewhat resembling in form the lengthened lingers and thumb of a human hand ; the 

 neck is almost devoid of feathers and ornamented with wattles, and the nail of the inner toe is 

 remarkably long. 



The present species was the only avi-faunal type secured during Kennedy's ill-fated e.xpedi- 

 tion in 1S4S, from Rockingham Bay to Cape York, when so many valuable lives were lost. 

 Singularly enough its early history is associated with the second, fourth and fifth Curators of 

 the Australian Museum, which was the tirst institution to receive a specimen. Those mterested 

 will find a full account of this specimen in a paper ■ by myself, " On the Early History of the 

 Australian Cassowary (Casuarius australis, Wall j." 



Mr. Frank Hislop, late of Wyalla, Bloomfield River, North-eastern Queensland, has sent 

 me the following notes : — " The Cassowary is a resident species, but not very common with us. 

 The birds are very shy and difficult to see in the scrub ; they have very keen hearing, and make 

 off as soon as they hear anyone approaching. It is surprising how fast such large birds can 

 race through the thick scrub, and over rough country ; no dog can keep up with them if they 

 get a start. On one occasion we came upon two adult birds with four young ones about half 

 grown ; the plumage of the latter was dull brown. The parent birds, when the dogs attacked the 



* Records Austr. Mus., Vol. X., No. 4, p. 39 (1913). 



