42 KECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



Wall while on the expedition to Cape York with the late Mr. 

 E. B. Kennedy. 



"I have just seen the bird sent to the Musenni by Mi. 

 Johnson, and I think it is identical with that shot by Mr. 

 Wall in the vicinity of Weymouth Bay, in November, 1848 ; 

 but the description given of the latter as quoted from Gould's 

 work on ' Australian Birds ' is not correct. I am aware that 

 in the few remarks on Wall's bii'd, which appear in my narra- 

 tive of Kennedy's expedition, there is an error as to the colour 

 of its helmet or comb, wliich was hlurh not reiJ (the redness 

 referred to the wattles) an error which I have before corrected. 

 As I was present when Wall's bird was shot, and helped to eat 

 it, I had a good oppoi'tunity of knowing something about it. 

 Instead of going in flocks of live or six together, it is certainly 

 a solitaiy bird, and would appear to be very scarce, as only 

 two others were seen by our pai'ty during the whole journey 

 from Rockingham Bay to my fui-thest camp at Weynunith 

 Bay in latitude 12*^ 25'S. This bird had shorter but lai'ger 

 legs, heavier body, and shorter neck than the Emu, the colour 

 very dark, its habits, too, being unlike those of the Emu. It 

 appears to confine itself to the gullies in the thick jungles with 

 the Brush-Turkeys and Jungle Fowl, feeding on the various 

 fruits found there, even swallowing the large seeds of ('(ixtmio- 

 permuni and Fcuidaiius. Mr. Wall took every care of the skin 

 he was able to do ; but it was completely destroyed before 

 he died, together with my own specimens at Weymouth Bay. 

 This bird was certainly very large, and furnished our whole 

 party with a better supper and breakfast than we had enjoyed 

 for some months, or than poor Wall was destined to enjoy 

 again (as he and all liis companions, with the exception of 

 myself and one other, had died iu six weeks after from want of 

 food) ; but there Avas not one in the party who would not 

 have eaten more if he could have got it, every meal being 

 divided with the greatest nicety, and having been so for a 

 long time. 



'* 1 am, Sir, yours etc., 



W. Carkon." 



At the same meeting, and recorded onlj- a few pages farther 

 on, Mr. (ierard Krefft, the third Cui'ator of the Australian 

 Museum, remarks^: — "The existence of a species of Cassowary 



•'' K'l-dTt — Pioc. Zool. Soc, 1867. 



