618 BIRDS. 



faculty of rejecting its food, when disagreeable, with the same 

 dispatch with which it swallowed it. 



The female lays a number of ash-coloured spotted eggs, about 

 thirteen inches in circumference one way, and six the other, of a 

 greenish colour, with still deeper green spots. 



4. New Holland Cassowary. 

 Struthio Novae Hollandiae. 

 Feet three-toed ; crown flat; shanks serrate behind. This 

 species inhabits New Holland, and is nearly as tall as the black 

 ostrich, being not less than seven feet two inches in height. Like 

 the rest of the genus, it runs with prodigious speed, and escapes 

 the pursuit of the greyhound. Bill black; head, neck, and body 

 covered with bristly feathers, varied with brown and grey; throat 

 nakedish, blueish ; feathers of the body a little incurved at the tip ; 

 wings hardly visible ; legs brown. 



[Pantologia, 



SECTION VII. 



Thrush kind. 

 Turd us.- Linn. 



The genus turdus is one of the most voluminous in ornithology, 

 including not fewer than one hundred and and thirty-six species 

 scattered over the globe $ of which some are inhabitants of our 

 country. 



To this numerous division belong more especially the missel, 

 common thrush, field.fare, black.bird, and mocking-bird; each 

 of which we shall proceed to describe. 



The French term the birds of this genus, that have speckled and 

 variegated plumage, grives ; and those of a more uniform hue, 

 merles. In the thrush tribes, the male and female are pretty nearly 

 of the same size : they are generally subject to a variation of co- 

 lour, in different seasons of the year. The outer toe is connected 

 with the middle by a membrane, as far as the first joint : their bill 

 is denticulated towards the point, and none of them feed upon 

 grain, which is probably too hard for their stomachs to digest. 

 They are properly baccivorous ; but to this food they add insects 

 and worms ; hence they are frequently seen scratching the ground, 

 especially after rain, when these animals come to the surface. 



