188 THE EMU. 



unfit for flying, and it is entirely without a tail : the 

 feathers are long, arid grey upon the hack ; hut upon 

 the belly they are white. In running it always holds 

 up each wing alternately, which to the observer has a 

 most singular effect, and the motion of it is so com- 

 pletely swift, that no dogs are able to keep up to its 

 pace. 



The history of this bird is very imperfectly known, 

 there fore Jit tion may possibly supply the place of fact; 

 but it is asserted, that the male compels twenry or 

 thirty females all to deposit their eggs in one nest ; 

 that then he drives them all away, and seats himself 

 upon what they have produced, first rolling two of the 

 eggs out, which he suffers to remain on the outside 

 until those he sits upon arc hatched, when he broods 

 those that are become addled, which immediately at- 

 tract vast numbers of flies, with which he supplies the 

 young brood with food until they are able to shift for 

 themselves. The young ones, as soon as they are 

 hatched, are very familiar ; and their flesh is said to 

 be delicate food. 



THE CASSOWARY. 



The cassowary is a native of the island of Java, and 

 was first brought from thence by the Dutch ; and though 

 not so large as the ostrich and the emu, yet measures 

 about five feet and a half in height : the neck of the 

 cassowary is proportionally much shorter than the pre- 

 ceding animals, but the size of the body is quite as 

 thick, in consequence of which it appears infinitely 

 stronger than either of those just described ; the wings 

 are so small, that they do not appear, being entirely 

 covered by the feathers on the back. In birds, in ge- 

 neral, part of the feathers serve for flight, and are dif- 

 ferent from those which are merely meant as a cover- 



