270 VERTEBRATE ANIMALS. 



toe is wanting in all except the Apteryx, in which it is present 

 in a rudimentary condition. The front toes (Fig. 133) are 

 either two or three in number, and are furnished with strong 

 blunt claws or nails. The feathers present the remarkable 

 peculiarity, that the barbs, instead of being connected by 

 means of the barbules, are disconnected and separate from 

 one another, thus coming to resemble hairs in appearance. 



FIG. 133. Cursores. The Apteryx AmtraUs (Gould). 



The African Ostrich (Struthio camelus), which is one of 

 the best-known members of this order, inhabits the desert 

 plains of Africa and Arabia, and is the largest of living birds, 

 attaining a height of from six to eight feet. The head and 

 neck are nearly naked, and the quill-feathers of the wings and 

 tail have their barbs wholly separate, constituting the ostrich- 

 plumes of commerce. The legs are extremely strong, and the 

 feet have only two toes each. The Ostriches run with extraor- 

 dinary speed, and can outstrip the fastest horse. They are 

 polygamous, each male having several females, and they keep 

 together in larger or smaller flocks. The American Ostriches 

 or Rheas are much smaller than the African Ostrich, and have 

 the head feathered, while the feet are furnished with three 

 toes each. They inhabit the great plains of South America, 

 and are polygamous. The Emeu (Dromaius) is exclusively 

 confined to New Holland. In size it nearly equals the African 



