GRALLATORES. 2U5 



Australia, and if the present bird extends its range to the 

 north and north-western coast, future research must deter- 

 mine. 



In some remarks on the Struthionida read at the scientific 

 meeting of the Society, on the 24th of April, 1860, Dr. Sclater, 

 referring to this new Emu, says, " I have lately had the 

 pleasm'e of examining two specimens in Ilolland. One of 

 these, now in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of Amster- 

 dam, was brought from Albany in Western Australia, and thus 

 renders it probable that the Spotted Emu is the Western re- 

 presentative of the D. novcB-liollandics. The second, now in 

 the Zoological Gardens at Rotterdam, I have obtained by ex- 

 change for this Society. The Emu of Western Australia may, 

 as was pointed out by Mr. Bartlett when he first described it, 

 be easily distinguished from the well-known Eastern bird by 

 its spotted plumage. On comparing the feathers of the two 

 species together, the mode in which this spotting is produced 

 is clearly apparent. The feathers of D. irroratus are barred 

 alternately with silky white and darkish grey throughout their 

 length, terminating in a black tip margined posteriorly with 

 rufous. Those of D. novcB-hoUandicB are uniform blackish grey 

 from the base to the extremity, which is black with a black 

 terminal band of rufous. On comparing the two living birds 

 we find D. irroratus generally of a much more slender habit. 

 The tarsi are longer and thinner, the toes longer and much 

 more slender, and the tarsal scutes smaller. The irides are 

 pale hazel, instead of reddish brown, as in D. novcd-hollandi(B 

 As Mr. Bartlett's original skin of D. irroratus was obtained 

 in the interior of Southern Australia, the range of this Emu 

 may be supposed to extend over the western portion of Au- 

 stralia into the latter colony, where it probably inosculates 

 with D. novae -hoUandicB. Two additional specimens of the 

 Spotted Emu {both immature) have been lately received by the 

 Society from Swan River. In this state of plumage the bird 

 is decidedly darker than its near ally, D. novGS-hollandice!' 



