38 HISTORY OF 



lifts up the other. What tlie bird's intention may be in thus 

 keeping only one wing up, is not easy to discover ; whether it 

 makes use of this as a sail to catch the wind, or whether as a 

 rudder to turn its course, in order to avoid the arrows of the 

 Indians, yet remains to be ascertained ; however this be, the 

 emu runs with such swiftness, that the fleetest dogs are thrown 

 out in the pursuit. One of them, finding itself surrounded by 

 the hunters, darted among the dogs with such fury, that they 

 made way to avoid its rage ; and it escaped, by its amazing 

 velocity, in safety to the mountains. 



As this bird is but little known, so travellers have given a 

 loose to their imaginations in describing some of its actions, which 

 they were conscious could not be easily contradicted. This ani- 

 mal, says Nierenberg, is very peculiar in hatching of its young. 

 The male compels twenty or thirty of the females to lay their 

 eggs in one nest ; he then, when they have done laying, chases 

 them away, and places himself upon the eggs ; however, he takes 

 the singular precaution of laying two of the number aside, which 

 he does not sit upon. When the young ones come forth, these 

 two eggs are addled ; which the male having foreseen, breaks 

 one, and then the other, upon which multitudes of tiies are found 

 to settle ; and these supply the young brood with a sufficiency 

 of provision, till they are able to shift for themselves. 



On the other hand. Wafer asserts, that he has seen great 

 quantities of this animal's eggs on the desert shores, north of the 

 river Plata ; where they were buried iti the sand, in order to be 

 hatched by the beat of the climate. Both this, as well as the 

 preceding account, may be doubted ; and it is more probable 

 that it was the crocodile's eggs which Wafer bad seen, which are 

 undoubtedly hatched in that manner. 



When the young ones are hatched, they are familiar, and fol- 

 low the first person they meet. I have been followed myself, 

 says Wafer, by many of these young ostriches ; which, at first, 

 are extremely harmless and simple ; but as they grow older, they 

 become more cunning and distrustful ; and run so swift, that a 

 greyhound can scarcely overtake them. Their flesh, in general, 

 is good to be eaten ; especially if they be young. It would be 

 no difficult matter to rear up flocks of these animals tame, par- 

 ticularly as they are naturally so familiar : and they might be 

 found to answer domestic puqjoses, like the hen or the turkey. 



