J04 * XOTK ON TIIK KIN(; ISLAND KMl'. 



THE TIBIO-TARSUS. 



The tibio-tarsus of our bird is only 2S5 mm. long, 

 with a proximal width ot 58 rniTi., and it distal width of 34 

 mm, Now, this agrees with number 25 of Spencer and 

 Kershaw's list, whei'eas the femur practically agreed with no 

 one! Obviously, therefore, either a maximum femrr of 

 this King Island Emu has not yet been found, or the ratio 

 of the tibio-tarsus to femur was not constant, and that 

 suggests sub-racss, since the actual variation between speci- 

 mens one and twenty-five is 109 mm. — far too much for sex 

 variation. The actual maximum specimen of the published 

 list is the property of the Launceston Museum (it was lent 

 for descriptive purposes), and is therefore available to me 

 at the present time. This tibio-tarsus has a proximal width 

 of 73 mm., and therefore must have carried a heavier femur, 

 since this is 15 mm. wider than our associate of the femur 

 detailed above. It is not fair to claim the whole of this 15 

 mm., since the hamular process of the larger specimen is very 

 robust; but at least 10 mm. of articular increase may be 

 fairly assumed to have_ existed. 



TARSO-METATARSI. 



Both tarso-metatarsi are present, and, as obtains in the 

 case of the other associates, they are in beautiful order. 

 The greatest length is 237 mm. This falls into Spencer 

 and Kershaw's list at about folio No. 25, and therefore agrees 

 exactly with the tibio-tarsal position. The proximal width 

 is 39 mm., and the distal width, 42 mm. 



From these comparisons we are led to infer that our 

 lists of tibio-tar.ii and tarso-metatarsi of King Island Emus 

 are more complete than that of the femora, but that, upon 

 the whole, our conceptions of the actual sizo of the birds 

 are fairly accurate. Spencer and Kershaw's remarks, 

 quoted above, respecting variation in size, are accentuated by 

 these notes; indeed, it is rather hard to account for all the 

 variations among adult specimens by individual and sex- 

 variation alone; and, unless wc call in insular environment 

 as a potent factor, we are without a solution of the problem. 



THE EXTINCT TASMANIAN EMU. 



Of the extinct Tasmanian Emu I have to record the 



finding of a tibio-tarsus, which was recovered from the 



Pleistocene swamp at Irish Town, N.W. Tasmania, during 



some draining operations carried out in 1920. Our 



