58 THE CASSOWARY. 



head, about the eye and ear, being destitute of 

 any covering, are blue, except the middle of the 

 lower eye-lid, which is white. The part of the 

 bill which answers to the upper jaw in other ani- 

 mals, is very hard at the edges above, and the 

 extremity of it like that of a turkey-cock. The 

 end of the lower mandible is slightly notched j 

 and the whole is of a greyish-brown, except a 

 green spot on each side. As the beak admits a 

 very wide opening, this contributes not a little 

 to the bird's menacing appearance. The neck is 

 of a violet colour, inclining to that of slate ; and 

 it is red behind in several places, but chiefly in 

 the middle. About the middle of the neck be- 

 fore, at the rise of the large feathers, there are 

 two processes formed by the skin, which resem- 

 ble somewhat the gills of a cock, but that they 

 are blue as well as red. The skin which covers 

 the fore part of the breast, on which this bird 

 leans and rests, is hard, callous, and without fea- 

 thers. The thighs and legs are covered with 

 feathers, and are extremely thick, strong, straight, 

 and covered with scales of several shapes ; but 

 the legs are thicker a little above the foot than 

 in any other place. The toes are likewise cover- 

 ed with scales, and are but three in number ; for 

 that which should be behind is wanting. The 

 claws are of a hard solid substance, black without, 

 and white within. 



The internal parts are equally remarkable. 

 The cassowary unites, with the double stomach of 

 animals that live upon vegetables, the short in- 

 testines of those that live upon flesh. The intes- 



