The Cassowary. 



THE Cassowary is a flightless Australian bird 

 belonging to the ostrich family, and in weight and 

 strength priority is given to the female. Nature 

 is accountable for many and various freaks, but the fore- 

 most is the fact that there are birds which do not possess 

 the power of flight. 



We find good examples amongst the penguins and 

 ostriches, the wings of the former being transformed into 

 paddles for swimming purposes, covered only with small 

 scale-like feathers, the quills being quite rudimentary; 

 while in the latter bird the wings are so reduced in size as 

 to be altogether useless for the purposes of flight. Indeed, 

 in some cases they are so rudimentary as to be completely 

 hidden from sight by the feathers on the back and sides. 



There are about twenty different kinds of penguins, and 

 all are inhabitants of the Southern Hemisphere, amidst the 

 ice of the Antarctic, in South Africa, South America, 

 Australia, and New Zealand, whilst they vary in size from 

 the large Emperor penguin, which measures 3ft. 6in. in 

 height and weighs about 8olb., to the little blue penguin, 

 which stands only about i6in. in height. All, however, 

 are very similar both in appearance and in habits. 



The ostrich birds may be divided into ostriches, rheas, 

 emus, cassowaries, and kiwis (Apteryx). The first-named 

 is now found in Africa, Syria, Arabia, and Mesopotamia 

 only, although it is believed formerly to have inhabited 

 parts of Central Asia. The rhea, or South American 

 ostrich, is a very much smaller bird, and differs from its 

 African relative in many ways, one of the most remarkable 

 points being that it possesses three toes on each foot, 



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