From Melbourne, Victoria, Mr. G. A. Keartland wrote : — " The Emu (Droiiurus novir- 

 hoUandiir) seems to be equally at home whether wadini,' in the swamps of Riverina or running 

 over the sandhills of Central and North-western Australia. With regard to food, nothing seems 

 to come amiss. They eat grass like a goose, but the fruit of the Quandong is consumed 

 in large quantities by the adult birds. The fruit is picked off the tree and swallowed whole, but 

 the nut is not digested. Amongst the sandhills we saw many of their nests, but with one 

 e.xception all the eggs were broken. In each case a piece of sandstone was amongst the broken 

 shells. The Aborigines assured me that the Black-breasted Buzzard was responsible for the 

 destruction. They stated that when the Buzzard discovered the sitting Emu it would alight on 

 the ground and pick up the stone with its foot, walk up to the limu, and when within a few 

 yards of the nest it opened its wings. This scared the Emu, and the Buzzard broke the eggs 

 with the stone and then devoured the contents. In both Central and North-western Australia 

 I found newly-hatched chickens in July. Three days after they were captured they came to 

 their food, when called, like domestic fowls. The llesh of the Emu is regarded as a great delicacy 

 by the Aborigines." 



I have received the following notes from Mr. A. \V. Mullen, Western Land Ijoard, Bourke, 

 New South Wales : — " Withm the Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett Districts Emus have 

 increased in numbers since the break up of the 1902 drought. They are harmful, breaking 

 netting and wire fences, and to some extent disturbing sheep by running through the flocks and 

 separating ewes from the lambs ; sometimes the lambs get lost and die, but more harm is done 

 to the fences than to the sheep. 



"They eat the fruit of the Prickly Pear and distribute the seed in all seasons, and should 

 be declared noxious birds wherever the Prickly Pear grows. Emus do not appear to pick 

 up ordinary poison baits laid for rabbits, but have been known to eat poisoned fruit laid 

 for the rodents. My informant tells me he has seen paddocks scored with poison cart tracks, in 

 which ordinary rabbit poison baits were laid, but saw no dead Emus. The Emus cannot get at 

 poisoned water set for rabbits, as it is protected from large stock-. Emus travel in parties up to 

 twenty or more in number (excepting during the breeding and laying season). They have no 

 particular camping grounds, but appear to wander about looking for the best feed. They live 

 on native berries and fruits, also grasses and herbage. The breeding season starts about May 

 or June, when the flock begins to break up ; they nest in May, June and July, and lay from nine 

 to seventeen large dark green eggs. The birds make a grass nest of very simple construction, 

 in a dry swamp or in scrub; if observed when sitting on the nest, the bird stretches out its neck 

 flat on the ground, and remains perfectly still, but will run from the nest if approached by a 

 man, and will remain at some little distance until danger has passed. They will attack inter- 

 fering sheep dogs or foxes when nesting, and will chase them away, and will also fight all wild 

 animals to protect their ycjung. When these are hatched they remain with the parent birds 

 until the next laying season. 



" To capture Emus the Aborigines sneak on to them and, rounding then;i up, spear or knock 

 them down with boomerangs or nullah-nullahs. They also catch them in brush yards at water 

 holes; a brush trap is built round the water-hole with wide wings, into which the Emus are 

 driven, and then rushed into the trap by the Aborigines and knocked down with nullah-nullahs. 

 Or, the Aborigines lie hidden at the water-holes frequented by Emus, and spear or kill them 

 with boomerangs or nullah-nullahs when the birds come to water. Emus always feed and driniv 

 in daylight, and sleep at night. They are very curious, and approach close to anything strange ; 

 the Aborigines know of this peculiarity, and often hide behind bushes and wave bright or strange 

 objects above them; the Emu then approaches within reach of the boomerangs or spears, and 

 is at once attacked and killed. The Aborigines roast the Emu for food by placing the body in 

 a hole in the ground heated with fire ; when cleaned out the carcase is put in and covered over 

 with a light layer of soil, and a fire lighted on the top." 



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