The Journal of 

 Comparative Neurology and Psychology 



Volume XV 1905 Number 2 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE SPINAL CORD OF THE 

 EMU AND ITS SEGMENTATION. 



By Irving Hardesty. 



[From the Hearst Anatomical Ladoratoiy of the University of California.) 

 With four figures in the text. 



Some months ago a zoo in San Francisco lost by sudden 

 death two specimens of Emu [Dromaeus novae-hollandiae) and 

 the management very kindly delivered the carcasses to me 

 within a few hours after death. The birds were immediately 

 dissected and, with certain of the other organs, the central 

 nervous system of each was removed and preserved in io% 

 formalin. 



The specimens were full grown and considered of large 

 size, being nearly as large as the adult ostrich. With the ex- 

 ception of the head and upper part of the neck, the bird re- 

 sembles the Cassowaries ; but it is larger, its neck relatively 

 longer and it belongs to a different genus. In general size of 

 the body it is intermediate between the Rhea, or South Ameri- 

 can ostrich, and the ordinary or African ostrich [Strut/no camelus). 

 The head, though less bare, is very similar to that of the os- 

 trich, while most of the neck, unlike the ostrich, is covered 

 with the long streaming plumage common to the rest of the 

 body. The wings are even more rudimentary than those of 

 the ostrich, being nothing more than slender stubs entirely hid- 

 den in the plumage and even void of spiny rudiments of wing 

 feathers. Similar to the ostrich, the legs are bare but some- 

 what shorter in proportion than those of the ostrich and are 

 relatively more stout, the "drumstick" being nearly as large in 

 circumference as the thi^h of a medium sized man. 



