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J. K. Butter,



fully feathered, and the absence of a tail; the wings are proportionally

longer and are covered with big slender plumes, and the extremity of

the wing has a horny process. The flattened beak is broad at the

base and rounded at the tip, where it has a curved nail-like sheath.

The feathers on the head and neck are small, thin, and pointed, those

on the body are large, broad, and rounded.


In colour the two sexes are very similar, the cock being larger,

darker in his plumage, and having a band of darker feathers down the

back of his neck from the head to the shoulders. They are inhabitants

of the Pampas of Argentina and Patagonia.


The Rhea will readily take to water, and is a good swimmer.

They are gregarious, each cock associates with several hens. I had

in my field one cock which was kindly presented to me by the

Duke of Bedford. With this bird were three hens that I bought

from different places. One day early in July I noticed that the cock

bird had scooped a hole in the sand by the side of the fence, and the

hens had already each laid an egg, pale in colour. The cock began at

once to brood, sitting on the three eggs, and about every other day the

hens laid their eggs close beside him, and by the help of his beak and

his wings he scooped all the eggs under him until he sat on a dozen.

The first chicks came out on the thirty-first day, they were three in

number; on the thirty-second day there were another two out, and

before he came off the eggs he hatched nine altogether out of the

twelve. He took sole charge of the family, the hens were not

interested much, so I fenced him and the chicks in, and as soon as he

began to sit I made a rough shelter over him to keep out the wet.

The chicks were very hardy and fed well; after three weeks in the

pen I let them out in the field, and they then grew very fast.


Rheas utter a booming cry accompanied by a sighing or hissing

sound. My Rheas were very fond of running as fast as possible round

the field, with one wing outstretched and suddenly turning round, and

one day my cock bird whilst doing this broke his leg at the knee.

I put the leg up in plaster of Paris with gum solution, and it did

remarkably well. He was very patient, and rested it well, I could see

he was easier when quiet; when I removed the plaster his leg was

healed, it was a compound fracture into the joint. He had a stiff leg



