364 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 
is angry, is changed into a sonorous humming noise, not unlike 
the sound of carriage-wheels or of distant thunder. The first bird 
of this species which was seen in Europe was brought from Java 
by the Dutch in 1597. 
The menagerie of the Museum of Natural History at Paris was 
in possession of a Cassowary which devoured everything that was 
given it—bread, fruit, vegetables, &c., and drank seven or eigl:t 
pints of water daily. In the London and the Paris Zoological 
Gardens there are generally several to be seen. 
The Cassowary runs very swiftly, and in a way quite peculiar, for 
it kicks up its heels at every step. They live in pairs; and during 
the breeding season the male bird shows a degree of violence which 
renders him very formidable. The female lays three or four eggs in 
the dust, and sits on them alone for about a month. The young 
birds, when first hatched, are covered with a light down, and are 
without the helmet, which it acquires as it approaches maturity. 
The wild nature of these birds renders them but little fitted for 
domestication : this is a fact not much to be deplored, as their flesh 
is of an unpleasant flavour, and in no other respect than as food 
could they be of any service to us. 
The Emu (Dromaius australis, PLATE XII.) is distinguished from 
the last-named bird by its larger size, and also by the absence of 
the helmet, the caruncles, and the pointed spines on the wings. It 
inhabits the forest country of Central Australia. Being very power- 
ful, it offers a stout resistance to dogs, with which it is hunted. It 
can be tamed much more easily than the last-mentioned bird, and 
manifests some attachment to its master. It is an excellent and 
useful acquisition to man, for its flesh, being of an agreeable flavour, 
is much esteemed. The few specimens which have been brought to 
Europe seem to have been readily acclimated, for they have bred 
afterwards. 
Kiwi-kiwi or Apteryx (Ajpteryx australis, Fig. 146), so called 
from the Greek amrepdv, “ wingless,” is a singular bird, bearing but — 
little resemblance to the other members of the class. It is no 
larger than a domestic fowl, and combines the bill of the Woodcock 
with the feet of the Gallinaceous tribe. The almost complete absence 
of wings renders it a most remarkable creature. 
The plumage of the Apteryx is a chestnut brown; it has no tail, 
and its mere stumps of wings are provided with strong and curved 
claws. It is a native of New Zealand, and keeps in the marshes, 
where it feeds on worms and grubs. Being nocturnal, it is seldom 
seen. In spite of its short legs it runs very fast, and, if overtaken, 
