238 LECTURE XIX. 



hunter's dogs, by kicking them in a dangerous 

 manner. They were formerly very numerous 

 in a locality still called the " Emeu Plains," but 

 they have been so persecuted that they are now 

 only found at a distance of 300 miles from that 

 place. The female emeu drops her eggs in 

 different places, but the male bird collects them, 

 rolling them to a nest, when the two sit upon 

 them by turns. I have witnessed this fact 

 myself at a menagerie where some were kept, 

 near Kingston-on-Thames. This bird is said 

 to be as swift as the fastest greyhound. 



Cockatoos and parrots are in great abundance 

 in Australia, and do much damage to the fruit- 

 trees, as well as in the corn-fields. Sometimes 

 a flock of white cockatoos may be seen on the 

 cultivated land, as if it were covered with a 

 snow-drift. Hundreds of parrots, of various 

 sorts, sizes, and hues, dart through the air in 

 flocks, giving a shrill scream and a flash of 

 brilliant colours as they pass. But the most 

 extraordinary animal in Australia is the water- 

 mole or platypus. This curious creature is very 

 like a large mole, but with the head and beak 

 of a duck. Some one called it a beast with 

 a bill, like a Christmas tradesman ! Its fur 



