Ostriches.] 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



11 



the under parts ; the base of the neck is encircled 

 by black, which spreads on the chest into a trans- 

 verse semilunar mark. Though common in its native 

 country, it is only within tlie last lew years that 

 specimens existed either in our museums or me- 

 nageries, and, indeed, it is not long since that 

 naturalists leckoned it among doubtful species. 

 Azara states that it abounds upon the borders of tiie 

 river La Plata, and is generally seen in the open 

 parts in paire, though sometimes in flocks of thirty. 

 It is chased by horsemen, who capture or kill it with 

 bolas, or thongs of leather with stones attached to 

 the ends, which are very eff'ective weapons. To 

 our knowledge of the habits of this bird Mr. Darwin 

 has recently made important additions. He describes 

 it as aboundinir on the plains of La Plata, and as 

 occurring occasionally in Paraguay. To the south 

 its limit appears to be from forty-two to forty-throe 

 degrees. " 1 1 lias not," he says, " crossed the Cor- 

 dilleras, but I have seen it within the first range of 

 mountains on the Uspallata plain, elevated between 

 six and seven thousand feet." Its food consists of 

 roots, grass, &c., but at Bahia Blanca Mr. Darniii 

 repeatedly saw " three or four come down at low- 

 water mark to the extensive mud-banks, which are 

 then dry, for the sake, as theGauchos say, of catch- 

 ing small fish." It is shy, wary, and fleet, but 

 easily falls a prey to the Gauchos, who appear at 

 different points around it, and so confuse it that it 

 docs not know which way to take, and is soon struck 

 by their bolas. It prefers to run against the wind. 

 It is a singular fact that the nandu takes to the 

 water and swims well. Mr. King informed Mr. 

 Darwin that in Patagonia, at the bay of San Bias, 

 and at Port Valdos, he saw those birds swimming 

 several times from island to island; little of their 

 bodies appeared above the surface, and their progress 

 was slow ; and on two occasions Mr. Darwin saw 

 them swimming across the Santa Cruz river, four 

 hundred yards wide, with a rapid current. The 

 note uttered by the male bird is a deep-toned hissing. 

 It appears that the male alone incubates the eggs, 

 and that several females lay in one shallow excava- 

 tion, the total number of eggs varying from twenty 

 to fifty. But besides the eggs deposited together in 

 the nest, others, called by the Gauchos " huachos," 

 are found scattered in great nurabere over the plain, 

 where they lie and become putrid. This circum- 

 stance, which appears strange, may arise, as Mr. 

 Darwin suggests, "from the difficulty in several 

 females associating together, and in finding a male 

 ready to take the office of incubation.'' It is evident 

 there must at first be some degree of association 

 between at least two females, otherwise the eggs of 

 each would be deposited at distances far too great 

 to allow of the male collecting them into one nest. 

 Previous then to the association of two or more 

 females, the eggs they lay are dropped over the 

 plain ; but when the partnership takes place, they 

 make a common nest. 



The Rhea Darwinii (Fig. 1803), orAvestruz Petise, 

 as the Gauchos call it, and which was evidently 

 known to Dobrizhoft'er (Account [of the Abipones, 

 1749), is considerably smaller than the preceding 

 species, inhabits Southern Patagonia, and about Rio 

 Negro advances upon the border-line of the nandu; 

 it is, however, rare there. At Santa Cruz Mr. 

 Darwin saw several : " They are,'" he says, " exceed- 

 ingly wary. I think they could see a person ap- 

 proaching when he was so far off as not to distinguish 

 an ostrich. In ascending the river few were seen, 

 but in our quiet and rapid descent many in pairs or 

 by fo'.us or fives were observed. It was remarked 

 by some of the officers, and I think with truth, that 

 this bird did not expand its wings when first starting 

 at full speed, after the manner of the northern kind." 

 It takes to the water like the nandu, and is said to 

 prefer the plains near the sea, taking the place in 

 Southern Patagonia of the nandu of northern 

 Patagonia and the plains of La Plata. An imper- 

 fect specimen, shot at Port Desire, Patagonia,! at. 48° 

 (the only one, wc believe, in Europe), brought home 

 by Mr. Darwin, is preserved in the museum of the 

 Zool. Soc. The French naturalist M. d'Oibigny, 

 when at Rio .Janeiro, made great exertion to procure 

 specimens of this bird, but did not succeed. A half- 

 bred Indian informed Mr. Darwin that more than 

 one female lays her eggs in a single nest, but the 

 total number of eggs seldom amounts to more than 

 fifteen. Mr. Darwin picked up eggs of the Avestruz 

 Petise on the plains of Patagonia, and observes that 

 they are little less than those of the common species, 

 but of somewhat different form, and with a imge of 



Sale blue. For minuter details we refer to Mr. 

 larwin's '.Journal,' p. 105-110. 

 Fig. 1805 represents the Stomach of the Nandu; 

 Fig. 180C, the same laid open to show the gastric 

 glands. 



1807.— Emeu, Foot op 



{Dromnim Nnvm IlollandicB). Dromaius Australis, 

 Swainaon ; Emu, New Holland Cassowary ; Parem- 

 bang of the natives. 

 Vol.. II. 



In the genus Dromaius the bill is straight, with 

 the edges depressed, slightly carinated above; head 

 feathered ; throat nearly naked ; feet three-toed, 

 very robust. 



The emeu is a native of New Holland, and also 

 the west coast near Swan River; Captain Flinders 

 found these birds in abundance at Port Philip and 

 King George's Sound ; and Flinders and Peron saw 

 them in numbers on Kangaroo Island. 



This species nearly equals the ostrich in bulk, but 

 is lower on the legs, shorter in the neck, and more 

 thickset in the body. In its native regions it is said 

 to stand six or seven feet, when its head is fairly 

 raised, and we have seen fine males in England of 

 nearly the same magnitude. The wings are simple 

 rudiments, destitute of plumes, and hidden beneath 

 the feathers of the body ; these have loose barbs ; 

 each feather consists of two plumes, the accessory 

 plume, which is usually very short, being greatly 

 elongated. As the feathers lie loosely hanging 

 on the bird, they resemble hair ; the cheeks and 

 throat are nearly naked; the general colour is dull 

 brown, but the skin of the cheeks and throat is 

 purple. 



The sound which the emeu utters is very singular ; 

 it is a hollow inward drumming, eftected by a pecu- 

 liar structure of the windpipe ; — to the lower portion 

 of this is added a membraneous sac, communicating 

 with the windpipe by means of a fissure, and con- 

 sequently capable of being distended with air ; and 

 the compression of this air, so as to force a portion 

 of it through the orifice into the windpipe, at inter- 

 vals, doubtless occasions the sound. 



The emeu breeds freely in captivity in our climate : 

 the female lays from seven to eleven esgs, which 

 are of a beautiful deep green, very hard-shelled, and 

 nearly as large as those of the ostrich. The office 

 of incubation is performed by the male, who sits 

 with great assiduity. The young, when hatched, are 

 clothed with a thick downy plumage, of greyish 

 white colour, with two stripes of black down the 

 back, two down each side, and two broken stripes 

 down the fore part of the neck and breast. 



In its native country the range of the emeu, owing 

 to the advance of colonization, is more limited than 

 formerly ; it, however, abounds still in the plains 

 beyond the limits of the colony of New Holland, 

 and on Kangaroo and King's Islands. 



Timid and peaceful, the emeu trusts alone to its 

 speed for safety, excepting indeed when hard 

 pressed ; it then strikes violently with its legs : it is 

 chased by dogs, and the course is said to afford, to 

 those who delight in such recreation, excellent sport. 

 We learn from Mr. Cunningham, that few dogs, 

 except such as are specially trained, can be brought 

 to attack it, both on account of some peculiar odour 

 in the flesh which they dislike, and because when 

 driven to extremity it defends itself with great 

 vigour, striking out with its feet, and inflicting ter- 

 rible wounds ; the settlers, he observes, assert that 

 " it will break the small bone of a man's leg by this 

 sort of kick." To avoid being struck, the dogs, if 

 properly trained, will run up abreast, and make a 

 sudden spring at the neck, and if successful, they 

 then soon dispatch the game. The eggs of the emeu 

 are highly esteemed for food, and the flesh of the 

 young is extremely delicate : that of the full-grown 

 birds is coarse ; it is, however, eaten both by the 

 natives and the colonists, who often prefer it to kan- 

 garoo. "The rump part," says Mr. G. Bennett 

 (' Wanderings,' &c.), "is considered as delicate as 

 fowl ; the legs are coarse, like beef, but still 

 tender. The fibula bone of the leg is used as 

 an ornament by the natives." It is, however, prin- 

 cipally for the oil obtained fi'om it that the emeu is 

 valued. Of this fluid the skin of a full-grown bird 

 produces six or seven quarts ; it is clear, and of a 

 bright yellow or amber colour. This oil is extracted 

 by boiling the skin, stripped of the feathers, and 

 cut into small pieces. It is used for burning in 

 lamps, and various purposes. The natives prefer 

 their emeu meat with the skin on, regarding the oil 

 as a luscious treat. 



Though these birds are shy and wary, they take 

 but little pains in the concealment of their nest, 

 which is very simple, consisting of a few sticks, 

 leaves, and grasses, scraped together upon a clear 

 space amidst brushwood. The natives seek lor the 

 eggs, which during the season of breeding form a 

 great portion of their subsistence. 



The food of this bird consists of leaves, fruits, and 

 herl)age, for the plucking of which its straight strong 

 beak, which is rounded at the point, is well adapted. 

 Though not an aquatic bird, the emeu swims well ; 

 it has been observed by Captain Sturt crossing the 

 Murrumbidgee River; and though we are not aware 

 that either the ostrich or the cassowary ever enters 

 the water and swims (a circumstance, especially as 

 far as the latter is concerned, not improbable), we 

 know that this is the case with the Rhea. 



That the emeu might become naturalized in 

 Europe, forming an ornament to our paiks and 

 pleasure-grounds, no one who has seen the speci- 



mens in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of 

 London can hesitate to admit. 



There is, besides the common emeu, a distinct 

 species, of which one specimen exists in the Lin- 

 n;can Collection, the other in the Museum at Paris. 

 It is the Dromaius parvulus of Gould. It is very 

 rare, if indeed it be not extirpated. Fig. i808 repre- 

 sents the Stomach of the Emeu. 



1809, 1810.— The Cassowary 



(Cusuarius Casoar, Brisson). Emeu of the early 

 Portuguese voyagers ; Casoaris of Bontius. This 

 fine bird, the sole example of the genus Casuarius, 

 is a native of Java, Sumatra, Banda, and the 

 Moluccas. The beak, instead of being broad and 

 depressed, as in the ostrich, is compressed laterally, 

 and ridged above ; the head and upper part of the 

 neck are naked, the former being surmounted with 

 a horny crest or helmet, the latter being of the most 

 intense blue, purple, and scarlet blended together ; 

 there are two v.attles at the lower part of the neck. 

 The body is covered with long, narrow, blackish, 

 feathers, rather stiff and glossy, and having a coarse, 

 hair-like appearance. 'The pinions are very small, 

 and concealed beneath the plumage, with the ex- 

 ception of fine long, stiff, and pointed shafts, of a 

 black colour ; their length is unequal ; the longest 

 exceeds twelve inches. 



The thighs are clothed with feathers, and the toes 

 are three in number, of which the innermost, which 

 is short, is armed with an enormous conical claw. 

 Height of bird when erect, about five feet. In many 

 important points of internal structure the cassowary 

 differs from the ostrich; in fact, it is not a desert 

 bird, though fleet and powerful : its digestive organs 

 are not adapted for hard coarse diet, but for fruits 

 and tender succulent herbage. It is not common 

 even in its native islands, where, however, it is 

 sometimes kept tame. It defends itself by striking 

 violently with its feet,'turning itself obliquely, and 

 kicking backwards at its enemy. Cuvier says that 

 it strikes also with its wing-shafts. It is bold and 

 resolute, but by no means intelligent. This bird is 

 much inferior in size to the ostrich ; but it is robustly 

 built, and very strong. Bontius remarks that the 

 eggs are very diff'erent from those of the ostrich, by 

 reason of their thinness and colour, for their shell is 

 greenish, ornamented with deeper-tmted numerous 

 tubercles. They are eaten by the natives. Cuvier 

 says that the cassowary, like the ostrich, abandons 

 its eggs, and that they are hatched by the heat of 

 the climate. Fig. 1811 represents the Head and 

 Foot of the Cassowary ; Fig. 1812, the Skull of the 

 Young Cassowary, before the osseous helmet, which 

 increases with age, has begun to be elevated ; Fig. 

 1813, the Skull of the Adult Cassowary, with the 

 horny helmet (which during life is encased with 

 hornj greatly developed. 



Family APTERYGID^ (APTERYX). 



This family is limited, as far as we yet know, to 

 New Zealand. 



1814. — The Apteryx 



(Apteryx Anstralis). Kiwi-kiwi of the natives of 

 New Zealand. 



New Zealand presents us with the Apteryx, or 

 Kiwi-kiwi, so extraordinary a bird, and so anomalous 

 in its conformation, that the existence of a species 

 possessing such a combination of characters has 

 been denied. The original specimen, namely, that 

 described by Shaw, and for many years the only one 

 extant in Europe, is in the cabinet of the Earl of 

 Derby. It was brought home in 1812, by Captain 

 Barclay, of the ship Providence. Within the last 

 few years, however, since New Zealand has been 

 visited by intelligent Europeans, several other spe- 

 cimens have been received ; and among them one 

 complete bird, preserved in brine, which has enabled 

 Professor Owen to give a most elaborate account of 

 its anatomy (published in the second vol. of the 

 ' Trans. Zool. Soc.'), accompanied with admirable 

 engravings. (See also 'Pioceeds. Zool. Soc, 1838.; 



'The apteryx stands about two lectin height. Its 

 wings are trifling rudiments, buried beneath the 

 general plumage of the body, and not to be dis- 

 covered without difficulty ; they are each terminated 

 by a little hooked claw. 



The beak is long, slender, and slightly arched, 

 reminding one of that of the curlew. The upper 

 mandible is somewhat swollen and notched at its 

 tip, and a longitudinal furrow runs along each side 

 from the base to the extremity. The situation of 

 the nostrils is most extraordinary ; they are minute 

 narrow fissures, one on each side of the tip oC the 

 beak ; and therefore not situated as in other buds 

 which insert their long beaks into mud for the pur- 

 pose of procuring insects, and which have the nostrils 

 at the base. The limbs are e.\tremely powerful ; the 

 tarsi are thick and short, and covered wi'.li hard 

 scales. The toes are four in number; the three 

 anterior toes are robust, with strong claws, and are 

 well adapted for digging. The hind toe is a thck. 



