NINTH ANNUAL REPORT. 909 
PAIR OF RHEAS. 
These birds are good swimmers, and have been seen playing 
in the waves of the sea some distance from land. This may 
partly account for their distribution among so many small, adja- 
cent islands. 
THE RHEA. 
The Rhea is the only member of the Ratite birds found in our 
hemisphere. It ranges over the open, treeless plains or pampas 
of South America, associating with herds of deer and guanacos, 
just as in Africa, ostriches seem to enjoy the company of zebras 
and antelopes. They feed on grasses, berries and seeds, but in 
captivity they are almost as omnivorous as the ostrich. 
An interesting superficial parallelism exists between this bird 
and the ostrich, brought about entirely by life in similar environ- 
