50 Emu and Ostrich Farming. 



branches over it. Eleven eggs were placed in the nest, and he 

 immediately began to cover them up with leaves, &c. On April 

 1st — not a very auspicious day — he sat down in the nest, but till 

 the 5th he never allowed twenty-four hours to pass without 

 having the eggs all scattered round him outside the nest. This 

 appeared to do them no harm, and the first young were hatched 

 58 days from the first day be sat down. At Billholm, her first 

 I'esidence, " Jenny " laid her eggs anywhere about the small 

 enclosure, but when she was removed to Castle O'er, and to a 

 larger enclosure, her habits changed. This enclosure was bounded 

 on one side by a hedge 300 yards long, and was visible from the 

 front windows of the house. When her day for laying arrived— 

 which was generally about every third one — her preparations were 

 of a most peculiar description. Almost exactly at 3 P.M. she 

 began running along the hedge from end to end at full speed, and 

 in the highest state of excitement, shortening her journey at each 

 end by a few yards. This continued the whole afternoon, and the 

 journey got shorter and shorter at each turn till towards the 

 finale it consisted of a few steps only each way, and even degene- 

 rated into a mere swaying of the body from side to side for a few 

 minutes, as if she were " ringing in," after which she sat down, 

 and, pressing herself up against the hedge, dropped her tigg. As 

 this took place generally, if not invariably at 6 P.M., she had run, 

 without ever ceasing, for three hours, and, judging from her 

 gaping mouth and heavy panting, she must have been pretty well 

 exhausted. The laying season commenced in January or Febru- 

 ary, and as hard frost often prevailed, I generally went to the 

 field at the time I expected the egg was due, or had been already 

 laid, to secure it from being frozen. The first time I went she 

 left the hedge and came up to me, walking round and round, at 

 the same time pressing against me in a peculiar manner. I did 

 not know at first what she meant, though she evidently wanted 

 something, so I put one arm round her body, upon which she sat 

 down, and dropped her egg. I now saw that what she did want 

 was to have a better purchase than that afforded her by pressing 

 against the hedge. After this discovery I went to her oftener 

 before than after the egg was laid! I daresay you all know the 

 colour of an Emu's egg. They vary a good deal in the depth of 

 their colour, some being a vivid green and some darker, and when 

 freshly laid the tints are beautifully clear and bright, but soon 



