32 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Description. 



tive power 'bf men, fled from the vicinity of their 

 habitations. 



The emu is generally six feet high, measuring 

 from the head to the feet. The legs are three 

 feet long, and the thighs are nearly as thick as 

 those of a man. The toes differ from those of 

 the ostrich, and the bird has three upon each 

 foot, whereas the ostrich has but one. This bird 

 has a long neck, small head, and the bill flatted, 

 like that of the ostrich ; but in all other respects 

 it bears a nearer resemblance to the cassowary. 

 The form of the body is an oval, but it appears 

 perfectly round : its wings are remarkably short, 

 and it has not any tail. The back and rump are 

 covered with long feathers, which fall backward, 

 and cover the vent : these feathers are grey upon 

 the back, and white upon the belly. It is very 

 swift in its motions, and seems assisted in its 

 pace by a kind of tubercle behind, like a heel, 

 upon which, on plain ground, it treads very se- 

 curely : in its course it uses a peculiar kind of 

 action, lifting up one wing, which it keeps ele- 

 vated for a time, and then letting that drop, it 

 lifts up the other. What particular advantage it 

 derives in thus keeping only one wing elevated is 

 not easy to discover ; whether it serves the pur- 

 pose of a sail to catch the wind, or as a rudder 

 to guide its course, in order to avoid the arrows 

 of the Indians, yet remains to be .ascertained ; 

 however this may be, the einu runs with such 



