RASORES. 189 



cisely resembles that of the Emu, not the whistle, but the 

 hollow-sounding noise like that produced by tapping on a cask, 

 which the Emu utters, but is of course much fainter." 



Strange sent me a fully developed egg of this bird which he 

 took from the ovarium of a female ; in general character it 

 resembles those of the Tiirnices ; it is somewhat suddenly con- 

 tracted at the smaller end, the ground-colour is stone-white 

 sprinkled with small blotches of umber-brown and vinous 

 grey, the latter colour appearing as if beneath the surface of 

 the shell, the sprinkled markings predominating at the larger 

 end ; the length of the egg is one inch and one-eighth by 

 seven- eighths in breadth. 



The male has the crown of the head, back, and upper sur- 

 face mottled with black, brown and fawn-colour, the latter 

 occupying the external edge of the feathers, and the black and 

 brown forming alternate circular markings on each feather ; 

 throat, neck, chest and flanks dull fawn-colour, the feathers of 

 the neck and chest blotched with brown ; flanks marked with 

 the same colour, assuming the form of bars ; tail-feathers 

 almost invisible ; centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts 

 bufFy- white ; irides straw-yellow ; feet greenish yellow. 



Total length 4-|- inches ; bill y& ', wing 2>\ ; tarsi f. 



The female has the crown of the head reddish brown, 

 speckled with black ; sides of the head and neck light buff, 

 speckled Avith black ; neck surrounded by a broad band of 

 white, thickly spotted with black; all the upper surface 

 reddish brown, each feather having several transverse crescent- 

 shaped marks in the centre, and margined with buff; tail 

 buff, crossed by numerous narrow brown bars; centre of the 

 breast rufous, the remainder of the under surface buff; the 

 feathers on the breast marked in a similar manner to those on 

 the upper surface, and the flanks with large irregular spots of 

 black ; irides straw-yellow ; biU yeflow, passing into black at 

 the point ; feet greenish yellow. 



Total length 7 inches; bill f ; wing 3f ; tail If; tarsi f. 



