286 VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY 



feet or more high. Rivers are no obstacles, for they are excellent 

 swimmers. 



The plumage is much like long, soft fur and is used for weaving 

 rugs and ornaments. The head is quite a striking object, generally 

 blue in color, with flesh-colored wattles and an orange stripe down the 

 middle of the back of the neck. A black shield or casque with green 

 sides adorns the top of the head. This color description gives the 

 suggestion that such a head would be decidedly conspicuous, but our 

 modern knowledge of camouflage would lead us to believe that in the 

 dense woods such a combination of colors might be practically in- 

 visible. A nest is made of leaves and grass and a few large green eggs 

 are deposited therein. As in the other Ratitse, the cock broods 

 the eggs. 



The emeu (Fig. 154, E) is a native of Australia and is not unlike the 

 cassowary in habits and habitat, except that it lives in woods that 

 are less dense. They are purely monogamous, differing in this re- 

 spect from other ratite birds. The male incubates the eggs that are 

 laid to the number of a dozen or more in a hollow, scraped out of the 

 surface soil. The flesh is palatable and the subcutaneous fat is used 

 for oil. 



The Kiwis (Apterygiformes) . The kiwis (Fig. 154, B) are fre- 

 quently called "New Zealand wingless birds." They are the smallest 

 of the modern ratite birds, unless we include the tinamous, whose 

 ratite affinities are in question. The beak is long and slender; the 

 neck and the legs are comparatively short; the wings are more rudi- 

 mentary than those of any living bird and are completely concealed 

 beneath the long, hair-like plumage; there are four toes, but the hal- 

 lux is quite short. Five species of the genus Apteryx are distinguished. 

 These are distributed on the various islands of the New Zealand 

 group, where they occupy wooded, hilly country. These strange 

 birds live a nocturnal life, hiding in burrows of their own making 

 during the day. The burrows are dug out by scratching movements 

 of their strong feet. They can run much more swiftly than one would 

 expect them to do, considering the comparatively short legs. Their 

 stride measures at least a yard long and involves leaving the ground 

 at every step. When they are cornered they strike viciously with the 

 feet, raising the leg as high as the breast and delivering a downward 

 blow. Their food consists mainly of earthworms, which are best 

 secured at night. The bird seizes the worm with the long beak and 



