274 A LONG RAMBLE IN QUEENSLAND 



cassowaries are found on several islands of the Indian seas, 

 and also in New Guinea, not a great distance from the 

 spot where my study of the bird was made, yet the 

 cassowary of each district or island is said to be specifi- 

 cally distinct, and is certainly at least a well-marked 

 variety. 



The Australian cassowary {Casuarius australis) has 

 a very limited habitat, not being found south of the tropic 

 of Capricorn, except as an accidental wanderer, and but 

 rarely, at the present day, wandering south of the twentieth 

 parallel. To me it is a very puzzling bird, and it is 

 difficult to perceive any use of the extraordinary horny 

 crest, which, with its remarkable skin colouration about 

 the throat and neck, are its two most prominent character- 

 istics. How this horny crest and this bright colouring were 

 acquired it is impossible to conjecture, and it is certain 

 that no definite conclusion could be arrived at unless we 

 had particulars of a long line of the bird's ancestors — a 

 knowledge, it may be taken for granted, which will not 

 now ever be acquired by the evolutionist. 



I am not sure that the cassowary is not the largest 

 bird on the Australian continent. It stands higher than 

 the emu, is stronger on the leg, and often quite as bulky 

 at least, as that bird. But it is shorter bodied than the 

 emu, and habitually stands more upright. It is also a 

 swifter runner than the emu, and a far more intelligent 

 bird. Cassowaries are not often found as pets among the 

 colonials, probably owing to their scarcity and limited 

 range ; but where they are they invariably show a 

 marked attachment to their masters, and, indeed, to all 

 that treat them kindly. Sometimes a tame cassowary 

 will follow its master about like a dog. 



In a wild state they are never gregarious. Solitary 

 cassowaries are frequently met with, especially when the 

 breeding season is well over. During the breeding season 

 the birds are mostly met with in pairs. They are not 

 nearly so prolific as the emus. Three or four eggs is the 

 number laid. They are placed together in a slight 

 hollow of the ground, generally well hid in thick scrub, 



