68 



The Rheas 



however well mounted. When running the wings hang down like those of a 

 wounded bird, or one wing is raised and held up like a great sail, for what reason 

 it is impossible to say." 



FIG. 24. Common Rhea, Rhea americana. 



The nesting season in the Argentine Republic begins in July, and several 

 females lay in the same nest, which is simply a depression in the ground, each hen 

 laying a dozen or more eggs. Hudson says: "It is common to find from 30 to 

 60 eggs in a nest, but sometimes a larger number, and I have heard of a nest 



