THE OSTRICH AND ITS KINDRED 



395 



Fntlt bj Sihtlmlit Phtla. Ct.~] [Purun'i Crn 



YOUNG EMEUS 



jlftcr a few -weeks the black and white strifes become much less conspicuous 



pouch comes to lie between this tube 



and the skin. Strangely enough, it 



is found only in the female, and is 



used by her chiefly during the 



breeding-season, when she utters a 



peculiarly loud booming note, which, 



it is supposed, is caused by the 



manipulation of the air in the pouch. 



\\ hen moved by any gentle excite- 

 ment or pleasure, especially on damp 



evenings or in the dead of night, she 



also becomes musical, giving forth a 



note which has been likened to a 



gong or muffled drum. The male, 



which is smaller, fleeter of foot, and 



more docile and inquisitive, is mute, 



or at most gives forth a suppressed 



hiss when angry, or a kind of grunt 



when distressed. 



At one time the emeu roamed over the whole of the mainland of Australia ; but now, alas ! 



it is almost exterminated, being found only far inland and in steadily diminishing numbers. 



Swift of foot and of great powers of endurance, the emeu has afforded in the past much " sport" 



to the hunting-man, who followed the dogs, doubtless making comparisons the while between 

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ i his two-legged prey and his four-footed 



friend Reynard. The hunt does not end 

 till the bird is thoroughly exhausted, 

 when it must be seized at once by the 

 neck, in order to prevent it kicking, for 

 the legs are so powerful that a blow 

 from the foot is dangerous. 



Incubation is apparently performed 

 by the male, which sits from fifty-four 

 to sixty-four days. Practically no nest 

 is made, only a shallow hollow being 

 scraped in the sand. The eggs, from 

 seven to thirteen in number, are of 

 a dark bottle-green colour, sometimes 

 lighter, and have the surfaces curiously 

 roughened. The male is smaller than 

 the female, a fact which has led to 

 some confusion, the larger femalehaving 

 at one time been regarded as the male. 

 It will be noted that the emeus not 

 only lack thebrilliantcolourof the casso- 

 waries, but also the helmet, or casque. 

 The late Mr. Gould's remarks on 

 the edibility of the emeu are inter- 

 esting. He says : " Its flesh has been 

 compared to coarse beef, which it resem- 

 bles, according to Mr. Cunningham, 

 both in appearance and taste, and is 

 goodandsweeteating; nothing, indeed, 



EMEU 



[Birihamitid 



t Jcathers of the neck of the emeu are much longer thar. in the r/icj ; hence tU 

 neck teems shorter 



