THE EMU. 33 



Mode of hatching the young. 



Swiftness, that the fleetest dogs are often thrown 

 out in the pursuit. It is related of one of them, 

 that finding itself surrounded by the hunters, it 

 darted among the dogs with such fury that they 

 made way to avoid its rage; and that by its 

 amazing speed it afterwards escaped in safety to 

 the mountains. 



This bird being but little known, travellers 

 have indulged their imaginations in describing 



< ' o O 



some of its actions. " This animal," says Nie- 

 remberg, " is very peculiar in the hatching of 

 its young. The male compels several of the fe- 

 males to lay their eggs in one riest ; he then, 

 when they have done laying, drives them away, 

 and places himself upon the eggs : taking the 

 precaution, however, of rolling two of the num- 

 ber to some little distance. When the young 

 ones come forth, these two eggs of course are 

 addled ; which he having foreseen, breaks one, 

 and then the other; these attract multitudes of 

 flies, beetles, Sec. which supply the young brood 

 with a sufficiency of provisions, until they are 

 able to shift for themselves." 



Wafer, on the other hand asserts, that he has 

 seen great quantities of these animals' eggs bu- 

 ried in the sand on the desert shores, to the 

 northward of the river La Plata, in order to be 

 hatched by the heat of the climate. But both 

 these accounts may be doubted ; and it is more 

 probable that it was the crocodile's eggs which 

 Wafer saw, and which are assuredly left in th 

 ui. NO. xvi. E 



