MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



provided with strong blunt claws or nails. The plumage pre- 

 sents the remarkable peculiarity that the barbs of the feathers, 

 instead of being connected to one another by hooked barbules, as is 

 usually the case, are remote and disconnected from one another, 

 presenting some resemblance to hairs. 



The order Cursores may be divided into the two sections of 

 the Struthionida and the Apterygidcc the former characterised 

 by the absence of the hallux, and comprising the Ostrich, 

 Rhea, Emeu, and Cassowary, with several extinct forms ; the 

 latter comprising only the Apteryx of New Zealand, and char- 

 acterised by the possession of a rudimentary hallux. 



The African Ostrich (Struthio camelus] occurs in the desert 

 plains of Africa and Arabia, and is the largest of all living 

 birds, attaining a height from six to eight feet. The South 

 African Ostrich is often considered as a distinct species, under 

 the name of S. australis. The head and neck are nearly 

 naked, and the quill -feathers of the wings and tail have their 

 barbs wholly disconnected, constituting the ostrich-plumes of 

 commerce. The legs are extremely strong, and are terminated 

 by two toes only, these consisting respectively of four and five 

 phalanges, showing that it is the hallux and the innermost toe 

 which are wanting. The internal one of the two toes is much 

 the larger, and is clawed ; the outer toe is small and clawless. 

 The pubic bones (fig. 329, B) are united in a ventral sym- 

 physis, and the wing is furnished with a long humerus. The 

 Ostriches run with extraordinary speed, and can outstrip the 

 fastest horse. They are polygamous, each male consorting 

 with several females, and they generally keep together in 

 larger or smaller flocks. The eggs are of great size, averaging 

 three pounds each in weight ; and the hens lay their eggs in 

 the same nest, this being nothing more than a hole scratched 

 in the sand. The eggs appear to be hatched mainly by the 

 exertions of both parents, relieving each other in the task of 

 incubation, but also partly by the heat of the sun.* 



The American Ostriches or Rheas are much smaller than 

 the African Ostrich, and have the head feathered, whilst the 

 feet (fig. 329, E) are furnished with three toes each. The wings 

 are rudimentary, and the phalanges are plumed and terminated 

 by a spur. They inhabit the great plains of South America, 

 and are polygamous. Three species are known, extending 

 from Patagonia to Peru, but each inhabiting its own specific 

 area. 



The Emeu (Dromaius Novce-Hollandia] is exclusively found 



* Mr Sclater, however, states that the duty of incubation is entirely taken 

 by the males. 



