A. V. Pelzeln on the Egg of Casuarius beccarii. 401 



visited by any European or by any of the late Mr. Mandelli^s 

 native hunters, and having, as reported, a much milder climate 

 and more luxuriant vegetation than the western parts of Tibet, 

 may be expected to produce a number of remarkable and, as 

 yet, unknown species. 



This makes the fifth, or, if C. tlbetanum, Hodgs., and C. 

 drouyni, Verr., should prove to be identical, the fourth species 

 of the genus known ; and though it is probable that, as in 

 the genus Phasianus, the local races or species of Crossoptilon 

 will be eventually found to merge insensibly into each other, 

 yet there is no difficulty in distinguishing them so far as we 

 know at present. 



XXXII. — Note on the Egg of Casuarius beccarii, Sclater. 

 By A. V. Pelzeln, H.M.B.O.U. 



In 'The Ibis,^ 1879, p. 376, I published a notice on two spe- 

 cimens of Casuarius beccarii, Sclater, living in the Imperial 

 Menagerie at Schonbrunn. Since that time the birds have 

 continued to be in excellent health. They are extremely 

 quarrelsome ; and in consequence of their fighting, it became 

 necessary to separate them. In the last days of March, 1881, 

 one of these Cassowaries laid an egg, of course not fecun- 

 dated, which is now preserved in the Imperial Museum. 



As I am not aware, that the egg of this species of Casso- 

 wary has been described, I here give the following descrip- 

 tion of it. 



The egg is of a regular oval shape, with both ends nearly 

 equal; its length is 5" 4'" (142 mm.), the breadth 3" 4'" 

 (88 mm.), the circumference of the longer axis 14^" 

 (3G5 mm.), and of the shorter axis 10" 3'" (270 mm.) ; the 

 shell is of a pale olive-green, with tubercles of a vivid green 

 colour equally distributed over the whole surface. 



This egg differs from the egg of Casuarius guleatus, figured 

 by Thienemann (Fortpflanzengesch. Tab. i. f. 1) from a speci- 

 men sent by Miiller from Ceram, in its much more elongated 

 shape, smaller, more isolated tubercles, and in the vivid green 



