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EMU, or EMEU. (Dromaws A'ovce Hol- 

 landice.) This singular bird is a native of 

 Australia, and allied to the Cassowary ; 

 nearly equalling the Ostrich in bulk ; but 

 has shorter legs, a shorter neck, and is thicker 

 in the body. Dr. Latham says, This bird 

 measures more than seven feet in length 

 the beak is black ; the plumage for the most, 

 part brown and gray mixed, paler on the 

 under parts : the head differs greatly from 

 that of the common Cassowary, being covered 

 with feathers ; nor has it any helmet or 

 rising protuberance whatever, as in that 



species ; the feathers, however, about the head 

 and neck are of a hairy texture, and the 

 fore part of the chin and throat nearly des- 

 titute of any, so that the purple colour of 

 the skin may be seen through them : the 

 long feathers observable in the wings of the 

 Cassowary of the Old Continent are here 

 wanting ; but instead of them are real wings, 

 though of so small a size as to be useless for 

 flight ; they are covered with feathers like 

 the rest of the body, and when the bird is 

 quite at rest, are scarcely discernible there- 

 from. The legs are stout, similar to those 

 j of the Galeated Cassowary, but greatly in- 

 j dented or jagged at the back part : the three 

 toes placed in the same manner, all for- 

 wards. So far the external appearance of 

 the bird : internally it is said to differ from 

 every other species, particularly in having 

 no gizzard, and the liver being so small as 

 not to exceed that of a blackbird. It is shy 

 and timid, trusting to its great speed for 

 safety, except when hard pressed ; it then 

 strikes violently with its legs. The flesh of 

 the young is delicate, but that of the full- 

 grown bird is coarse ; it is pursued, however, 

 for the oil that is obtained from it, of which 

 the skin produces six or seven quarts. 



It is stated by Capt. Grey (Travels in 

 Australia), that " Emus are killed in pre- 

 cisely the same manner as Kangaroos, but as 

 they are more prized by the natives, a greater 

 degree of excitement prevails when an Emu 

 is slain ; shout succeeds shout, and the distant 

 natives take up the cry until it is sometimes 

 re-echoed for miles : yet the feast which 

 follows the death is a very exclusive one ; 

 the flesh is by far too delicious to be made a 

 common article of food, hence, heavy pe- 

 nalties are pronounced against young men, 

 and unauthorized persons, who venture to 



touch it ; and these are invariably rigidly 

 enforced." 



At a meeting of the Zoological Society of 

 London (Feb. 23. 1847), the Earl of Derby 

 observed that it was generally supposed that 

 these birds, like most of the Kasores, are poly- 

 gamous : this, however, was not the fact : the 

 Emu is strictly monogamous ; and the male, 

 who attends to the eggs, by no means ap- 

 proves of any other female than the favoured 

 one coming near the nest. 



EMU- WREN. The name given in Aus- 

 tralia to a singular small species of Malurus, 

 the Stiiiiturus malachurus; so called from 

 the tail feathers being loose webbed and 

 bearing some resemblance to the double lea- 

 thers of the Emu. 



EMYD^E. AfamilyofTestudinous ani- 

 mals, known as MARSH TORTOISES, They 

 inhabit warm climates both of the Old and 

 New World, and are found also in Australia, 

 where hitherto no land Tortoise has been 

 detected. Their shell is more convex than 

 that of the latter ; their feet are webbed, and 

 their toes are armed with sharp claws. 

 Though they seldom venture far from the 

 water, which is their natural element, and 

 wliich they invariably seek as a refuge from 



danger, they are far more active and alert 

 on land than those species which are well- 

 known to us as Land Tortoises. They are 

 carnivorous in their habits ; eagerly pur- 

 suing frogs, fishes, newts, and insects ; and 

 some of them are really formidable from 

 their size and ferocity. [See TORTOISE.] 



We refer our readers to the great work of 

 Professor Bell, and to Mr. Gray s very admi- 

 rable Catalogue of the Tortoises in the British 

 Museum, where all the species are described. 



ENALIOSAURI. The name applied to 

 that order of Reptiles which contains the 

 fossil genera ICHTHYOSAURUS and PLESIO- 

 SAURUS [which see]. 



ENCIIELIDES. A genus of animalcules, 

 the forms of which are extremely various. 

 In some, scarcely any definite shape can be 

 discovered ; their bodies appearing to be 

 composed of a mass of gelatinous matter 



ithout any solid support. 



ENCRINITES. A genus of petrified ra- 

 diated animals commonly called Stone, Lilies. 

 Speaking of their rare occurrence in our 

 modern seas, and of their vast numerical 



mportance among the earliest inhabitants 

 of the ancient deep, Dr. Buckland observes: 

 " We may judge of the degree to which the 



individuals of these species multiplied among 

 the first inhabitants of the sea, from the 



