THE BIRDS 279 



tionately shorter than in the ostriches and cassowaries, the beak is 

 long, weak and tapering, and the feathers which clothe the body 

 are hairlike. The wings are exceedingly small and completely 

 hidden, so that the bird appears to have none at all, and from 

 this peculiarity it has been given its family name, Apteryx, which 

 is derived from two Greek words signifying " not " and " a wing." 

 Kiwis are very shy birds. By day they hide in burrows in the 

 ground, or amongst the rocks or roots of the trees in the wooded 

 country or the hills which they frequent, rolling themselves almost 

 up into a ball. At night they become more active, and run about 

 very swiftly on their sturdy little legs, taking great strides, and 

 holding themselves in an oblique position with the neck stretched 

 out and the head well forward. They have a curious way of resting 

 upright, and partly supporting themselves with the beak, which 

 is used as a third leg, the tip resting on the ground. If annoyed, 

 the Kiwi will draw up one foot and give a quick downward kick 

 with considerable force. Its food consists chiefly of worms, for 

 which it probes in the earth with its long bill, making the while 

 a curious sniffing noise as if it were trying to find its food by smell, 

 At night the Kiwi gives utterance to a loud, whistling note, and 

 if disturbed during the daytime it emits a kind of growl. It is 

 said, too, to be much given to yawning, opening its beak to the 

 widest possible extent in the most ridiculous manner. The bird 

 lays an enormous egg in proportion to its size ; two eggs are 

 usually laid, and the male bird, which undertakes the incubating, 

 is not able entirely to cover them. 



The Emus and the Cassowaries are large ostrich-like birds, 

 with quite rudimentary wings. The plumage is hairlike, and 

 each contour feather appears to be double, the after-shaft being 

 almost equal to the main shaft, and there are no plumes on the 

 wings or tail. 



Cassowaries are confined to Australia, New Guinea, Ceram, 

 and some of the adjacent islands. They are distinguished by 

 having a large, horny helmet on the head, which has no feathers, 

 and the neck, which is also bare, is usually ornamented with 

 pendent wattles. They are striking-looking birds ; the plumage is 

 glossy black, and the neck and wattles are variously coloured in dif- 

 ferent species. One which inhabits the Aru Islands has a greenish- 

 blue head, a blue neck marked on the back with red, a black 



