110 HON. W. EOTHSCHILD ON THE GENUS CASUARIUS. 



is shorter than in most other Ratitse, very robust, and covered in front with hexagonal 

 scutes, and transverse ones near the toes. Toes three, the two outer ones with obtuse, 

 curved, and short claws ; the inner toe with a long, straight, powerful, pointed claw, 

 Avhich is a dangerous weapon. The body is covered with stiff, hair-like featiiers, in 

 Avhich the after-shaft is as long as the principal shaft. The old birds are black, the 

 young ones brown, the nestling, when hatched, is striped longitudinally above. 



The eggs are about six to eight in niimber, Avith a strong and very coarsely granulated 

 surface. When fresh they are evidently all of a light green colour, but when exposed 

 to the light they become first more bluish, then greyish, and at last almost cream- 

 coloured. The male alone incubates. 



Herr Schalow (Journ. f. Orn. 1894) has attempted to make a key to distinguish the 

 eggs of the various species ; but his key is a total failure and misleading, being 

 ju'iucipally based on the colour, which is the same in all, and on the transparency of the 

 shell, which is not specifically different. 



All Cassowaries are inhabitants of forests, while the rest of the large living Palceo- 

 gnat]ice{ox Ratitce) are denizens of steppes and deserts. Their food seems to consist of 

 all sorts of vegetable matter and fruits ; but they also pick up insects and any creeping 

 thing that comes in their way. In captivity, at least, tliey kill and devour chicks and 

 small birds when they come across them. They also, like Ostriches, Kheas, and others, 

 swallow quantities of stones and gravel to assist digestion. They are entirely diurnal, 

 sleeping from sunset till morning. 



The voice of the Cassowaries is a curious sort of snorting, grunting, and bellowing, 

 usually not very loud, and differing according to the species. 



Their temper is generally sullen and treacherous, and they are extremely pugnacious, 

 even the different sexes often fighting at other seasons than the breeding-season. 

 Exceptions are rather rare, but there is an adult Cassowary, now in the Society's Gardens, 

 which is quite tame, and was always so, since I had him ; while another young bird used 

 to follow the keeper who fed him like a dog when I had him in Tring, but has since 

 become somewhat shy. 



It seems that the Dutch navigators in 1596 were the first Europeans who became 

 acquainted with the Cassowary, at least there does not appear to be any indication 

 that the Portuguese, who visited the East-Indian Archipelago long before, came across 

 the bird. For more than two and a half centuries there was no certainty as to 

 the existence of more than one species, but in 1854 Mr. Thomas Wall procured a 

 specimen of Casunrius castiarius australis near Cape York, which was described by his 

 brother, for the first time, in the ' Illustrated Sydney Herald ' ; but the description 

 (made from memory) is as bad as it ran be. In 1857 Gould described the New Britain 

 Cassowary, in 1800 Blyth and Sclater described two new species, and since then 

 the described forms have constantly been increasing, till they now number liO. The 

 best general accounts are those by Salvadori in his monograph of the genus in the 



