RHEA DARWINI. 219 



wings charges suddenly, making S o huge and grotesque a figure that 

 the tamest horse becomes ungovernable with terror. 



Eagles and the large Polyborus are the enemies the Rhea most fears 

 when the young are still small, and at the sight of one flying overhead 

 he crouches down and utters a loud snorting cry, whereupon the scat- 

 tered young birds run in the greatest terror to shelter themselves under 

 his wings. 



434. RHEA DARWINI, Gould. 

 (DARWIN'S RHEA.) 



Rhea darwini, Darwin, Zool. Voy. ' Beagle] iii. p. 123, pi. xlvii.; Hudson, 



P. Z. S. 1872, p. 534 ; Sdater, Trans. Zool. Soc. iv. p. 357, pi. Ixx. ; Gadow, 



P. Z. S. 1885, p. 308. Pterocnemis darwini, Scl. et Sale. Nomencl. p. 154. 



Description. Above red or buff-brown, most of the feathers of the back with 



white shaft-stripes and wide white margins : beneath, throat and neck buft- 



brown ; rest of under surface whitish ; front of tarsus covered on the upper part 



by small reticulate scutes, on the lower part by transverse scutes : whole 



length about 36'0 inches, tarsus ll'O ; tarsus partly feathered. 



Hab. Patagonia south of the Rio Negro. 



Head of RJiea darwini. 

 (P. Z. 8. 1860, p. 209.) 



Darwin's Rhea inhabits Patagonia from the Straits of Magellan to 

 the Rio Negro, and is also met with occasionally north of that river. 

 The Indians call it "Molu Chueke "short or dwarf Chucke* ; its 

 Spanish name is " Avestruz petizo" They were formerly very abundant 

 along the Rio Negro; unhappily, some years ago their feathers com- 

 manded a very high price; Gauchos and Indians found that hunting 

 the Ostrich was their most lucrative employment ; consequently these 



