A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



FAMILY CASUARIDXE. 



Only one genus is at present recognised, so that the characters given there- 

 under are those of the family, but later certainly more genera will be utilised, as the 

 differences in the species known are very great from a systematic point of view. 



Genus CASUARIUS. 



Casuarius Brisson, Ornith., Vol. V., p. 10, 1760. Type (by tautonyray) : Casuarius = 



Struthio casuarius Linne. 



Rhea Lacepede, Tabl. Ois., p. 20, Dec. 1799. Species added by Daudin, in Hist. Nat. Buffon, 



ed. Didot, Quadr., Vol. XIV., p. 345, [1799 =] Oct. 1802. Type (by monotypy) : Rhea 



casuarius = Struthio casuarius Linne. 



Cassowara Perry, Arcana, pt. 21 (pi. 82), Sept. 1st, 1811. Type (by monotypy) : Cassowara 



cximia Perry = Struthio casuarius Linne. 



Cela Oken, Lehrb. der Naturg., Vol. III., Zool., 2 Abth., p. 646, 1816. Type (by monotypy) : 



Struthio casuarius Linne. 



Oxyporus " Brookes, Catal. Mus. Joshua Brookes, pt. ii., p. 95, July 1828. New name for 



Casuarius Lin." Cf. Richmond (2), p. 628, Dec. 16th, 1908. 



HippaUctryo Gloger, Hand- u. Hilfsb., pt. vi., p. 452, 1841, p. xxxxiii., 1842 (early). Typ* 



(by monotypy) : HippaUctryo indicus Gloger = Struthio casuarius Linne. 



Large Dromseornithes with small heads bearing a more or less developed bony 

 helmet, long stout necks, stout bodies, small flightless wings bearing a few strong 

 spines, no tail, very stout legs and feet with no hind-toe, but the inner toe much 

 lengthened. The bill is as long as the head, with a large gape ; from the base arises 

 an elongate triangular bony helmet ; the culmen is narrow with the side slopes 

 steep, the tip decurved ; the nostrils are placed forward as elongate ovals in a long 

 shallow groove. The under mandible has the rami narrow and grooved and a long 

 interramicorn with a narrow interramal space which has a few hair-like feathers 

 on it ; the edges of the tip of the under mandible are serrate. The head and neck 

 are naked save for a few hair-like feathers and there are pendant wattles on front 

 of neck, and wattle-like strips on sides. The wing is very short and shows about 

 half a dozen hollow spines with no signs of barbs, succeeding a few degenerate feathers 

 after the claw. There are no recognisable tail-feathers. The legs are very stout 

 and fairly long, feathered to the tarsal joint and bearing a few very large scutes 

 towards the toes which are regularly scuted ; sides of toes as rest of leg covered with 

 hexagonal scutes. The middle toe is much longer than the outer and inner, which 

 bears an elongated straight strong claw, the claws on the other toes being short 

 and stout. There is no hind-toe and claw. All feathers with aftershaft equal to 

 rhachis. Adult coloration black with coloured naked parts of neck. The downy 

 young striped like that of preceding genus. Confined to Papuasia and North 

 Queensland. 



3. Casuarius casuarius. CASSOWARY. 



[Struthio casuarius Linne, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., p. 155, Jan. 1st, 1758 : [Asia, Sumatra, 



Molucca, Banda =] Ceram. Extra-limital.] 



Gould, Suppl., pis. 70-71 (pt. v.), Aug. 1st, 1869. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 1, pi. 5, Oct. 31st, 1910. 



Casuarius australis Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1857, p. 270, Jan. 28th, 1858: North 



Queensland. 



Not Shaw, Nat. Miscell., Vol. III., pi. 99, April 1st, 1792. 



Casuarius johnsonii Mueller, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1867, p. 242, June 1st : Gowrie Creek, 



Rockingham Bay, Queensland. 



Casuarius casuarius hamiltoni Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. II., No. 7, p. 124, Jan. 28th, 



1915 : Cairns, North Queensland. 



DISTRIBUTION. The thick scrubs north of Cardwell, North Queensland. 



