THE EMEU. BIRDS. THE APTEUYX. 



407 



thong. The latter instrument is thrown at the legs of 

 the bird, which it binds together, and, of course, pre- 

 vents all further progress. 



THE EMEU (Dromaius Novce~Hollandia>)P\&tQ 22, 

 fig. 82. In the Emeu, as in the remaining species of 

 this family, the feet consist of three toes ; its distinctive 

 characters consist iu the position of the nostrils, which 

 open not far from the tip of the upper mandible, in the 

 complete concealment of the wings under the hair-like 

 feathers of the body, and in the claws of all the toes 

 being nearly equal in length. This' bird is inferior in 

 size only to the African ostrich, measuring from five 

 to seven feet in height ; the crown of its head and the 

 back of the neck are clothed with feathers, but the 

 throat is naked, and the plumage, which hangs down 

 like long hair on each side of the body, is of a mixture 

 of brown and gray tints. 



The Emeu is abundant in. the southern parts of 

 Australia, but it is rapidly becoming extinct in the 

 British Colonies. Its flesh is very good, that of the 

 young birds especially being exceedingly delicate ; the 

 eggs, which are of a green colour^ are also eaten both 

 by natives and colonists, and the natives of some dis- 

 tricts are said to live chiefly upon Emeu's eggs during 

 the breeding season of these birds. Unlike the pre- 

 ceding species, the Emeus pair, but the males, as in 

 the Rhea, hatch the eggs. The young birds exhibit 

 black stripes upon a nearly white ground. 



BARTLETT'S EMEU (Dromaius irroratus) is a second 

 species very nearly allied to the preceding, the existence 

 of which was long since suspected by Mr. Bartlett, but 

 only recently proved by the importation of specimens 

 into Europe. It is distinguished by its speckled plum- 

 age, and inhabits the western parts of Australia, where 

 it would appear to represent the common Emeu. 



THE CASSOWARY (Casuarius galeat us} Plate 21, 

 fig. 81. The Cassowaries, resembling the Emeus in 

 having three toes on each foot, are distinguished from 

 them by the inequality of the claws, of which the inner 

 one is much elongated, by the presence of five stiff 

 cylindrical shafts destitute of barbs in each wing, by 

 the position of the nostrils near the middle of the 

 upper mandible, and by their having a large horny 

 casque or helmet on the crown of the head. 



The Common Cassowary is generally described as 

 being a native of the Molucca Islands and of New 

 Guinea, but Mr. Sclater states that the only certain 

 locality that he knows for it is the island of Ceram. 

 It is about five feet in height, and its body is clothed 

 with a very long hair-like plumage of a black colour, 

 through which, the five bare quills of the wings project ; 

 its casque is black, and the naked wattled skin of the 

 head and neck is bright red, tinged here and there 

 with a somewhat livid azure blue. This bird feeds 

 upon fruits, herbage, and seeds; and, like the ostrich, 

 swallows indiscriminately almost anything that comes 

 in its way. It runs very swiftly, and when in danger 

 kicks very severely with its powerful feet. Its eggs are 

 of a grayish-green colour. 



THE MOORUK (Casuarius Bennettii) was lately 

 described by Mr. Gould from specimens brought alive to 

 Sydney from the island of New Britain, and afterwards 

 presented by Dr. Bennett to the Zoological Gardens 



in London. It is a smaller bird than the common 

 Cassowary, measuring less than four feet in height to 

 the crown of the head; the casque forms a sort of 

 double crest at the back, the bare skin of the neck is 

 blue, and the wings contain only four spines. The 

 Mooruk runs very rapidly, and possesses an extra- 

 ordinary power of leaping ; it feeds principally on soft 

 vegetable and animal matters, but, like the other birds 

 of this family, will swallow almost anything. The 

 natives of New Britain regard these birds as to a 

 certain degree sacred, and treat them as pets, often 

 carrying them about in their arms. 



Three other species of Cassowary are mentioned 

 by Mr. Sclater in the Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society. These are the CAPE YORK CASSOWARY 

 (C. australis), a native of North Australia, which has 

 a "bright red helmet, and blue and scarlet caruncles;" 

 the BICARUNCULATED CASSOWARY (C. bicarunculatus), 

 distinguished by having the throat wattles placed far 

 apart ; and a species mentioned by Mr. Blyth as living 

 in a menagerie at Calcutta, ia which the naked skin 

 and wattles of the neck are yellow. These species are 

 still very imperfectly known. 



FAMILY II. APTERYGID^S. 



The three remarkable birds, inhabitants of New 

 Zealand, which constitute this family resemble the 

 Emeus in the general form of the body and in the 

 nature of the plumage, but are at once distinguished 

 from those ostrich-like birds by the shortness of their 

 legs and the presence of a short hind toe, armed with 

 a strong claw on each foot. A further distinction is 

 afforded by the form of the bill, which is elongated, 

 nearly cylindrical, and slightly curved; the nostrils are 

 situated quite at the tip of the upper mandible. The 

 wings, as in the Emeu, are rudimentary and completely 

 concealed beneath the feathers of the body. 



SHAW'S APTERYX (Apteryx australis) Plate 22, 

 fig. 83 the species first discovered, was described by 

 Dr. Shaw nearly fifty years ago ; but for a long time its 

 place in the system was a matter of dispute. It is 

 called the Kivi-kivi, in imitation of its cry, by the 

 natives of New Zealand. This curious bird stands 

 about two feet high when most erect ; its plumage is 

 of a tolerably dark-brown colour. It runs with great 

 rapidity, and when pursued takes refuge in holes of 

 the rocks, or amongst the roots of a tree, which are 

 also its haunts during the day-time. When seized it 

 defends itself vigorously with its powerful feet. Its 

 activity is nocturnal, and it feeds principally upon 

 earthworms, which it captures by driving its long bill 

 into the soil, first of all, according to some authors, 

 stamping upon the ground as if to ascertain the presence 

 of its prey. These birds live in pairs and construct a 

 rough nest in the holes which they ordinarily frequent; 

 in this the female lays a single egg about the size of 

 that of a goose. Their flesh is much esteemed by the 

 New Zealanders, but a still higher value is placed upou 

 their skins or feathers, which are employed by the 

 chiefs in the manufacture of cloaks. 



The other two species are MAXTELL'S APTERYX 

 (A. Mantettii), and OWEN'S APTERYX (A. Owenii). 



